Meet Aileen Posada (Leen) | Illustrator & founder of leen – Illustration workshop

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aileen Posada (Leen) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aileen, how does your business help the community?
My work provides spaces for contemplation and creation. People need art, to disconnect from the idea they have of themselves on a day-to-day basis, especially in this age of appearances and of such importance in being productive and functional.

Art is there to question life, for cathartic expression, and to understand ourselves in other languages of the soul. This is the purpose of my work, from inviting the reading of an illustrated product and raising awareness of the poetics it contains, to teaching how to generate it from one’s own inner voice.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The hardest yet most exciting thing along the true path has been keeping in mind the matrix of the path I took. Not letting myself be blinded by things going well or badly, but keeping in my heart the intention behind everything I do and the decision to be an illustrator and workshop facilitator. It seems very simple, but it is something that is often lost when you do not have much money or when one of the doors you knock on is closed. From a very young age I felt accompanied by art, and I discovered that art gives me a beautiful escape from the world, allows me to heal, and also clearly shows me how I am feeling and allows me to deal with those feelings and thoughts. I chose this vocation because of what art has done in my life, and I decided that it would continue to do that for me, while I share that experience with the people who come to the Casa Taller to learn.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are a lot of places that I love from Miami and Fort Lauderdale. I would take my friend to museums such as the PAM, the NSU Art (Fort Lauderdale), Freedom Tower, the Museum of Art and Design… and I would also visit ones I don’t know yet. I would go to Wynwood, which for me, is the inspiring place for artists. There you can find many artistic references and an active market for them; maybe we would eat somewhere near there. I would take her to the beach to enjoy the sun, the water and the magnificent view and tranquility that the ocean offers. I think that something that I love about the area is the variety of activities that there are to do related to creativity and also mindfulness. There are places that practice sound healing, meditations, yoga and I would love to share those experiences with someone I love. There are events related to illustration, writing and anything else that mobilizes creative energy. There is an event that takes place every month, that I attend as an exhibitor, called the Indie Market in Fort Lauderdale. It promotes local artists and artisans; I would surely take my friend there. Regarding food, I love being able to find food from different parts of the world in the same area. There is the Yellow Green Market in Hollywood which has an immense variety of international food and vendors. I love to try new places so I would venture out to learn more things with my friend. I am not from the area, so I would also live the experience as a tourist!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Behind the curtain of this work under construction there are many people who consciously or unconsciously have contributed to the construction of my project, including Obsidian Abnormal, my illustration professor at the university. He was the first person who made me feel a heartbeat for living from illustration and teaching, who gave me evidence that it can be done and whose stories led me here. My family and their support in my construction of my own desire. Sofía Fernandez is one of the most intelligent women I have ever met. In years of therapy, she has been a little light in the middle of my path of self-knowledge, the reaffirmation and the growth of my artistic project; many things happen on that couch. Matías, my life partner who has embraced my project in the same way that he embraces me and who has been a support and a sensitive recipient of my ideas. The friends who have supported the project from the beginning, even when they thought my head was not quite right, the students of the Casa Taller Leen who have given me the confidence to share my knowledge and contribute to their creative training. The lines and experiences that I have traced from Ana Juan, Johana Concejo, José Rosero, Sako Asko, among many other subjects who throughout their lives have shaped what art history is for me.

Website: www.theleenation.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theleenationus/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leen.nation.us/

Other: www.etsy.com/shop/LeenUSA

Image Credits
Personal photo was shutted by Formula Fotográfica. Other photos are from the Casa Taller Leen.