InRing Art by Justin Frank
Photos provided by Justin Frank
Justin’s commitment to his work inspires me and should inspire others; what started as a way to cope with the pandemic has become a worthwhile venture that has connected him to a community he loves. I have known Justin for a while and have to say that his pop culture knowledge and love for wrestling never cease to impress me. I love his work and his approach to it.
Take a moment to check his work and words below.
Casual Thinking: When and why did you start InRIng Art?
Justin Frank: It was during the pandemic. We all started to pick up little hobbies to pass the time or deal with whatever stress and uncertainty we were dealing with.
I’ve always been a fan of Wrestling. So, I started drawing a wrestler every day. I started an Instagram account to track my progress. I started getting followers and people commenting, and it just went from there.
Ted Hirsch, who runs Wrestling4Sale and is a go-to guy for anyone looking for vintage wrestling t-shirts, dug my work and invited me to sell my drawings on his website. I was like, “Why would people buy these?” But I sold my first drawing and have been selling them ever since. It’s been a fun ride, little by little, with some ups and downs, but fun nonetheless.
CT: Were you always into drawing?
JF: I have always wanted to know how to draw, and I have been fascinated with it. I would always doodle all over my college notes, but I wasn’t any good at it. I’ve always been envious of people who can draw. I never took any classes or anything like that, but yeah, I always wanted to draw.
CT: How do you go let go of your own judgment or insecurities and keep pushing through?
JF: You have not to care what others think and be self-guided. I know it’s hard to believe, but one of the things is that when I draw, I’m doing the best I can to make things look as realistic as possible. It doesn’t turn out that way, but I guess that’s just my style.
CT: So your love for Wrestling got you drawing?
JF:I always knew in the back of my head that there was a niche in pro wrestling. It’s a special one because it’s a subculture that the average person doesn’t understand but wrestling fans instantly gravitate to.
When you find someone else who likes Wrestling, you automatically have a connection with them, like having the same birthday or being from the same small town.
People see a guy who draws a wrestler every day, and they know the love and passion for their favorite hobby, as well. It gives me an excuse and a reason to put my art out. I mean, I drew these wrestlers from Japan, and a day later, one of them said, ‘Awesome work,’ and the other one did the fire Emoji. Both of them responded. It doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s pretty cool.
CT: That’s rad. Could you walk me through your process?
JF: I used to do one every day, but I’ve eased up a little bit because there are some days where I know exactly who and what I want to draw, and there are other days where I just have my pad open for an hour, staring, trying to figure out what I want to draw or honestly I just don’t have the time that day. I just kind of wait for the motivation to come.CT: What keeps you motivated or inspired to keep going?
CT: What keeps you motivated or inspired to keep going?
JF: I just like it. It’s just something that’s a part of what I do now. I feel this connection and spot in the wrestling community. I feel like if I stopped, people would wonder if I’m OK. I feel like I have to now. It’s not like I’m forcing myself, but I have a responsibility now in a weird way.
CT: Any wrestlers you haven’t drawn because you did not care for them?
JF: I won’t draw Hulk Hogan or The Ultimate Warrior.
I never liked them, so I’m only drawing them if someone pays me. I’ve drawn other guys I don’t like, but I’m not a fan of them professionally or personally. Plus when I was a kid my uncle always encouraged me to root for the bad guys and told me that guys like Hogan and Warrior were full of shit… and he was right.
CT: Have you thought about drawing other things?
JF: Sometimes I draw sneakers and Kobe, but wrestling is my thing. That’s my niche. I am not ready to fully commit to other stuff consistently until I feel comfortable.
People commission me random things, and I’ll do it. But I usually don’t post it.
CT: I feel so inspired by what you do and your commitment to your art.
JF: I have a core group of “followers”. It’s small, but it’s a group of people who consistently like, encourage, and complement my stuff. Having people like your stuff who are from all over the world is crazy. Like some random comedian from Japan just likes my stuff. It’s cool.
CT: So rad.
JF: Yeah.
One of my current favorites Zack Sabre Jr. of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Tetsuya Naito is another wrestler responsible for me falling in love with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
I went kind of crazy with this kind of Anime-style drawing of ‘Surfer’ era Sting.
Rikishi was very popular during one wrestling’s biggest times during the “Attitude Era” of the late 1990s.CT: What are your future plans for InRing Art?
JF: I would love to get more of an audience in Japan because I first started drawing Japanese wrestlers, and Japanese pro Wrestling is what I love the most.
A part of me wants to be in a gallery thing. I want to do more pop-ups, sell stuff to people in person, and make more of a connection with my audience. I want to sell t-shirts, prints, and stickers, but I’m hesitant about making it a business because I still want to have that kind of friendly connection with people. So I want to grow it a little bit, for my own satisfaction and ego, and if extra money comes with that, then fantastic. I want to see how far I can take it.
Make sure to check out more of InRing Art here.
