LIVE ONLINE WORKSHOP
The Art of Making a Living
with Leena Al Ayoobi, Professional Artist & Mentor
Build a sustainable art career that creates opportunities and income without compromising your creative identity.
Identify sustainable ways to generate income from your art without compromising your creative identity.
Position yourself and your work professionally so that your presentation reflects the value and direction of your artistic practice.
Recognize which opportunities are worth pursuing—from exhibitions and commissions to collaborations, licensing, and brand partnerships—and when to say no.
Build meaningful visibility and connections with collectors, galleries, brands, and audiences, both online and offline.
Develop a clearer career direction with practical next steps based on your strengths, goals, and personal definition of success.
Audience: Fine Art Painters
Medium: Any Medium
Stages:Beginner, Aspiring
Session Dates & Times:
October 6 & 20 2026
8am-10am PDT / 9am-11am MDT /
11 am-1 pm EDT / 4-6pm BST /
6-8pm AST
$104.50
12 in stock
WORKSHOP Description
Being a successful artist today requires more than creating strong work. Artists also need to understand how to position themselves, recognize the right opportunities, build visibility, develop relationships, and create sustainable income—without allowing the commercial side of the art world to dictate what they create.
This workshop is designed for artists who are serious about developing their practice into a sustainable career while protecting their artistic identity. We will look at the different ways an artist can generate income, including original artwork, commissions, prints, licensing, exhibitions, collaborations, and other opportunities, and discuss how to decide which paths genuinely make sense for you.This is not a workshop about making your art more commercial. It is about becoming more knowledgeable and strategic about the career that surrounds your art.
Between the two sessions, participants will complete a practical exercise examining their current practice, goals, audience, opportunities and potential income streams. In the second session, we will use those insights to begin developing a realistic direction for each artist’s career.
🎥 WORKSHOP RECORDINGS available for 1-YEAR after the workshop ends!
🎥 NOTE: Workshop Recordings may be offered for sale at a future date at Mastrius, with the consent of the instructor.
High School, University, and College students get 20% OFF. See FAQs at the bottom of page.
Supply List
1- A notebook and pen or a digital device for taking notes.
2- A small selection of your current artwork or a digital portfolio.
A link to your website, online portfolio and/or professional social media account, if available.
3-A brief overview of the ways you currently offer your work—or would like to in the future—such as originals, commissions, prints, licensing, exhibitions or collaborations. No financial or income information is required.
4-A list of your main professional goals and any challenges you currently face in developing your art career.
Instructor Bio
Leena Al Ayoobi is a Bahraini contemporary artist whose practice spans painting, illustration, printmaking, and digital art. Her work is recognized for its distinctive visual language, drawing inspiration from women, identity, Gulf culture, and the changing way we experience the world around us.
Leena has exhibited her work locally and internationally while continually evolving her practice and exploring new mediums. Her willingness to experiment also led her into the digital art and NFT space, where she later hosted NFT MENA, a first-of-its-kind NFT exhibition in the MENA region.
Her latest body of work, Fluid Perspective, marks a new chapter in her practice, exploring shifting viewpoints and the idea that there is never only one way to see or experience an image.
Alongside her studio practice, Leena is passionate about sharing the practical knowledge she has gained from building an independent artistic career—from developing an authentic visual identity and navigating exhibitions and opportunities to understanding the business and professional side of being a working artist. As a mentor, she encourages artists to develop their own voice rather than follow a predetermined path.
