Self-taught artist Layes Hussain began painting as a hobby, turning it into his sustaining and fulfilling career.
An avid reader who always drew and doodled as a kid, he came across the work of both authors and artists. “When I saw the works of the artists, I thought, ‘I think I could do this,’” he explained. “One day I gave a shot and did some painting. I gave it a shot one day and showed it some co-workers one day,” he described. “They were really impressed and one fellow teacher told me I should be an artist. I started painting every day and weekend, but it was still just something I did. I had a career as a high school teacher and that’s where I got my income.”
He had a breakthrough driving to his teaching job in 2012. “One day I went to work, getting up at 5:30 a.m., got stuck in traffic for 45 minutes, and had to find parking,” he recalled. “All this just to deal with the politics behind education. I was wondering if this is what every day of my life was going to look like for the next 30 year. I knew it was not what I wanted.”
Due to budget cuts, Hussain’s teaching contract was not renewed, giving him more time to paint and, in turn, discover his passion and life’s true work. He quips that he spent his days drinking coffee and painting. “I accumulated so much artwork in my tiny apartment, when a friend suggested I post my work on Facebook,” he explained. “I did that and people were buying them fast. I didn’t care about the cost and everything was very affordable.”
Hussain sold more than 400 paintings in one week, generally selling them for $50 or $75, and made $5,000 in the first week. “My Instagram following grew from 500 to 10,000 in eight months. I was working hard and sharing my work on social media,” he stated. “Then people started asking for specific paintings. This became my full-time job and my only source of income.”
The Artist Stereotype
“My family was always big on me going to college. They did not see art as a way to be successful and without social media then, there was not the platform that we have today,” he admitted. “Others often associate being an artist or painter with the notion of the ‘starving artist.’ Many people seem surprised that I own a car.”
Although his prices are now more in line with his talent and experience, Hussain is content not making the money he could on Wall Street or some other high-profile job. “I don’t do things for money. I have to do what I am passionate about,” he explained. “I can spend 1½ hours working out a day and painting when I want to. I am okay with not having that extra $50,000 in the bank that others will likely spend on hospital bills for what their lifestyle does to them.”
Instead, his focus is on being happy aging gracefully. “There are many people around my age who make double what I do, but they look a lot older,” Hussain divulged. “They are working 12 hours or more every day. They may have an extra comma or two in their bank account and have a great home, but they are not healthy. It is priceless to not be working for someone else. That is worth everything. I wake up whenever I want, take a day off whenever I want. It doesn’t mean you can be lazy. You have to work and produce, but on your own schedule.”
Challenging Himself Physically
The now 40-year-old Hussain began working out seven years ago. In 2019, he began intensely training in an attempt to break the Guinness World Records mark for pullups in 24 hours, which is officially 7,600 set by John Orth on June 11, 2016. (Former Army Ranger Brandon Tucker unofficially did 7,715, but is not recognized by Guinness as a world record).
“Pullups are difficult. I started doing one or two at a time when I first attempted to do them and moved on to a different exercise. Then I would do two, do something else, and do two more. You have to gradually move yourself up,” he communicated. “The key is to increase little by little and be consistent. A few years ago, my workout partner and I did 100 pullups a day for 30 days and then on the last day, we did 1,000. We did that for three years in a row.”
Hussain faced one additional challenge that dated back to his childhood days in Bangladesh, where he was born. “When I was young, I contracted malaria. The medical care there was not very sophisticated and they put the IV in the wrong place,” he disclosed. “They didn’t want the infection to spread and they wanted to cut my hand off because it was really infected. My mother refused to let them do that.”
He moved to the U.S. with his family when he was six years old and doctors performed a skin graph. “It made things better, but I was still not able to make a fist. It was always a struggle for me trying to play sports because I was so much weaker in my left hand.”
Hussain strengthened the grip in his left hand as he continued to do more and more pullups. “I trained so hard for eight months to pursue the record,” he expressed. “The whole time, I was training for the bar to touch my nose, but I failed to read the (Guinness) guidelines until the day before, which stated it needed to touch your chin instead. That meant I had to add an inch to the way I have been training.”
On Oct. 19, 2019, Hussain began his attempt at the world record at 11 a.m. After 2,340 pullups, his bicep muscle gave way. “My entire bicep just said ‘no.’ I was so emotional when I tapped out,” he disclosed. He posted a video on Instagram letting his supporters know he could not continue.
Instead of friends and followers being disappointed, they were inspired. “A lot of good came out of that experience. The following morning, I had so many text messages and there were more than 300 messages and comments on my Instagram,” he recounted. “We are hard on ourselves because we know what we are capable of doing. A former neighbor of mine was a huge influence on me and who I affectionately call ‘Mr. Grump Pants’ called me the next day crying and telling him how much I inspire him.”
Looking back, he understands some of the mistakes he made and won’t repeat when he makes another attempt. “I made a big event out of it. It was a spectacle with kids running around, people ordering food and drinking wine,” he revealed. “The two guys who broke the record (Orth and Tucker) did not say a single word. You have to get into a very dark place to accomplish something like that. You have to be able to get into that place, find the darkest demon, and bring that demon out of you. You need to tell yourself, ‘I have to do this.’”
African Grey Parrots and Mourning
2020, which will go down as one of the most unforgettable years in global history, started on a terrible note for Hussain when his beloved African grey, Artsy, passed unexpectedly with no signs of illness on the first day of the year.
“I always wanted a pet growing up, by my family was not having it,” he laughed. “I didn’t want just any pet, but a smart one that I didn’t have to walk. I did a lot of research and was fascinated by the birds on people’s shoulders. I went through a breakup and my apartment was so quiet. I got a girl African grey (Artsy) and soon after, got a boy (Hercules).”
Artsy was nearly seven years old when she passed. “I cried so much from her passing. She was almost like a daughter,” remarked Hussain, who acquired the bird when she was just a few weeks old. “Between her and so many people being lost to COVID, it was a tough several months.”
His art and fitness once again came to the rescue. “The year started to change with a lot of art sales and then taking first place in two fitness competitions (earning him $4,500 between the two victories),” he exclaimed. “I just kept working on my art and fitness day in and day out. The tables do turn if you stay dedicated.” He is current training for another competition with a grand prize of $10,000 and also added another African grey, Cutesy.
To add to his fitness and another possible attempt at the Guinness record for pullups, Hussain has made major changes to his diet. “I gave up a lot of rice, grain, and carbs, switching more to cauliflower rice. I totally gave up meat for 30 days. The result was amazing and I was able to see the benefit,” he explained.
The Business of Art
Hussain makes between 60-70 percent of his income from customers buying his paintings directly with the others being commissioned. “Being a full-time artist is not just about creating artwork, but business. You have to have a strategic plan that considers that not everyone has a big budget,” he articulated. “You can create something that is affordable for more people, while earning more money from special projects that take me a lot longer to paint.”
In his eight years of painting full-time, he has only been stiffed by a few customers. “It is not fair to ignore me or any artist you have contracted to pay. I am nice, but I am still a human being,” described Hussain. “If I had advice for young artists, it would be to take full payment or at least a large deposit to ensure they are getting paid for their work.”
Hussain is pursuing other avenues diversify his business, including fitness products, YouTube workout videos, and other ways to incorporate his art. “I remember one time I was selling a t-shirt I painted on. Someone bought one right away so I immediately made 40 more. Only three more sold,” he conceded. “I have learned over time how to best invest my time and money. I have other ideas that I am confident will work.”
He is looking to incorporate fitness and artwork into other business aspects. “I would like to venture into photography and videography that has to do with art. I have microphones sitting in the closet and would like to put them to use in podcasting,” Hussain expressed. “I have a friend who podcasts and he loves it and gets a lot of reactions to it. I want to take the opportunity to talk to people with different talents, giving them a platform to share their passions. I am tired of celebrity talk. I want to hear what the everyday person is doing, the person who gave up their job and spent their last paycheck to buy a camera and start taking photos of family and friends, eventually turning it into a business.”
“People always want to interview the people with a zillion followers or great looks or a great body, but I want to talk to the woman who is starting her first meal prep company to hear what is working for her and what she is struggling with,” he continued. “There is a gym where I did murals and a guy is an MAA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter. That’s what I want to hear about. Maybe someone wants to fight in MMA, but doesn’t know how to go about it until he hears the fighter’s story.”
Hussain learned how to get his work recognized, even when it meant getting out of his comfort zone. “I started doing street festivals in 2014, which was hard for me because I was very shy. It turned out to be great as people put a lot of positive energy into it and told me they were inspired,” he remarked. “I never set a goal to inspire someone. I just do the things I like doing and share it. If, along the way, that inspires someone, that is a bonus.”
He hopes that his plans for podcasts will put that same positive energy into others and their work. “Everyone has a story. Some people are heard, but others never are,” he stated. “I want people’s stories to be heard.”