Find Your Inner Bear: A Conversation with Artist Ryan Mund

An unexpected Facebook memory sparked a new creative journey for artist Ryan Mund. What began as a fun, one-off illustration for an art challenge—a portrait split in half to reveal a cute bear—has blossomed into a viral sensation. Ryan’s Inner Bear series, where he illustrates people’s “inner bears,” has captivated an audience that just can’t get enough. The series is a massive creative undertaking that has already far exceeded its original goal and shows no signs of slowing down. We caught up with Ryan to ask him about the series, and what’s next.

Richard Jones: Hi Ryan, it’s great to see you again. We love your new Inner Bear series of illustrations you are creating. We have been seeing them pop up everywhere! Can you tell us a bit about them and how you got started creating them?

Ryan Mund: It all started with a Facebook memory… Essentially, I had done an art challenge years ago where you had to split yourself in half and draw yourself in your own art style. Of course, I made myself into a cute bear and it was a fun one-off piece. When I saw the memory after all those years, I felt like I had to share it.  I just asked if people would want one of themselves and within minutes, I had people messaging me asking if they could get one.

There I sat with 20 plus people wanting one, and I thought to myself, there is something special about this. I felt like I should explore and discover a different art style within myself to create a series of portraits where I split the image in half and illustrate someone’s Inner Bear. 

It’s been a massive learning experience and a huge creative undertaking. My original goal was to complete 50 illustrations. I exceeded that goal and am now working towards 100 portraits. I’m so proud of each and every one of them! 

RJ: Do you have a conversation with the bears in the images beforehand? Do they have input?

RM: They absolutely have input! I usually start by asking them to send me a variety of their favorite pictures. From there we narrow it down to the final image I’ll illustrate. Some want to be a specific type of bear, or want me to change part of the image, but in most cases, people just want me to interpret the image using my creative vision. 

Some people give me total freedom which is really fun! I try my best to get a sense of their personality through the conversations we’ve had and by looking at their social media page. Given this information, I imagine what I want their bear to look like and intuitively roll from there until it’s completed.

RJ; What is the response to the finished pieces?

RM: Honestly the responses to the illustrations have been all love and gratitude. I pour alot of myself into my artwork and nothing makes me happier than to hear “Omg I love it!!!”. The reception has been more than I could have ever imagined. People love to see the cute bear illustrations and appreciate how accurate they are to the person in the photo.

RJ: What do you enjoy most about the process?

RM: My process for the Inner Bear series has been one of evolution. I’m becoming quicker and I’m able to execute my ideas fairly efficiently compared to the beginning of the series. I use a tablet to draw which gives me the ability to experiment and erase if it doesn’t go the way I expected. Drawing everyone’s facial expressions is probably my favorite part of the physical illustrating process. Those smirks come out so cute!

But I really think my favorite part of it all is connecting with new people and making friends along the way. I have such an amazing support network, I have essentially been entrusted to go carte blanche and let my creative intuition blossom – that’s truly a special gift.

RJ: Will you keep doing them?

RM: As long as people keep asking, I will continue the series. My goal is to reach 100 by the end of this year and if I happen to go over that, then I’m more than happy to keep it going. This series was made from not only my love of illustrating, but from the love others experience when they see their illustrations.

RJ: Can people buy the images in any way?

RM: I’m able to provide customers with prints of their portraits through my online shop. They can also take the high-resolution image to any place they want to get it printed.

RJ: Let us know where to find your work and buy your designs and all your socials.

RM: You can follow me on Instagram and BluSky @bearlygoin. 

Or if you want to buy one of my designs for tees, prints and other apparel – just visit www.bearlygoin.ca