Written by: James Lake, Graphic Recorder at ImageThink (@imagethink).
At ImageThink’s off-site this year, Heather Willems asked me what career path I would have chosen if I wasn’t graphic recording for ImageThink: Pro Wrestler! This may come as a shock, especially to anyone that has seen me in person, but it’s true.
I’ve been a fan of sports entertainment (mainly WWE) since I was about 8 years old, and over the years my friend Lucas and I have gone to live events, autograph signings, and watched countless wrestling shows. If I did not love drawing as much as I do, I would be jumping off the top rope for a living.
Our newest project manager Ilise Ratner asked me why I have an interest and fascination in pro wrestling…
1) Their Body is Their Business
I am inspired by the notion that a person’s health and fitness could become their business. This is why I love pro athletes. When I drew for UFC’s SXSWi talk last year, my hero Ronda Rousey explained that she didn’t have to train for her photos in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. Her body looks the way it does all the time, for a reason.
2) Travel
This is the same for being a graphic recorder for ImageThink, traveling for a living is very nice.
3) Being a Heel
From wikipedia, “a heel (also known as a rudo in lucha libre) is a wrestler who is villainous, who is booked (scripted) by the promotion to be in the position of being an antagonist.” We all try to be good in our day to days, it’s nice to play evil now and then. As I always said when I acted as the villain in the NYC play Speakeasy Dollhouse, “If you get the chance to blow kisses to an angry mob, you should take it.” My favorite heels of all time are the New Day, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Crazy Max, Shawn Michaels, Goldust, CM Punk and Sasha Banks.
4) Cool Outfits
Most of us dress up only on special occasions, but to do it full time sounds like fun to me.
5) Being a Boss
Sasha Banks’ character is “The Boss”, this is a reflection of the revolution happening in sports entertainment right now. It’s now possible to have women’s main events and matches that go on longer than 5 minutes. This may sound like a no brainer, but it has been decades in the making. Look out for future posts on this, it’s an exciting time now! Her match against Bayley at the Barclay Center last year was the best match I’ve seen in over 10 years.
Being a graphic recorder is my dream job, but it’s a fun exercise to imagine yourself in an alternate universe. Do you have a road not taken? Tweet @imagethink and let us know!
