Creative Enthusiast: James Kelly and StreeTTrendZ Metal Art

There are a few individuals swimming in our larger sea who just know they have a fulfilling mix of gifts, desire, and motivation that gives their brand of creativity and expression momentum. A special purpose that others may notice in passing early on, but later must accept as a truly unique manifestation of difference delivered through a canvas no one expected to be so illuminating. James Kelly, the founder and primary artist at StreeTTrendZ Metal Art in Stoughton, Massachusetts is one of those individuals that affected everyone in his orbit. As he grew, he not only stretched out to be an interested, inspired car enthusiast, but also applied his keen sense of creativity to express his passion through what he saw within the engineering, design, and creativity of others far before his unique sense was born. As Kelly's website proudly proclaims on its first page, his art and creativity is about "Turning Old Car Parts Into Unique Works of Art", which is clearly confirmed and proven through the gallery of work the amazed viewer will quickly see through his online gallery. Kelly was born in Boston and spent a few years of his early life in the south west section of the city called Hyde Park. At around six years of age, Kelly's family relocated about 25 minutes further south to Stoughton, Ma, a nearby suburb of the city where he has spent the last 35 years of his life growing into the innovative creator we are meeting today. Now at 41 years old, his memories of inspiration and artistic development are as fresh and clear in his mind as any proud craftsman could reflect. "For as long as I can remember I have been artistic and creative." Kelly explained. "As a kid I was always drawing or building stuff. I was always known as the kid who was the artist, or when we had class projects, I was in charge of the art work." he cheerfully remembered. "I also always built things as a kid. If there was a character toy that I wanted but didn’t have, I’d make it or paint another figure to be who I wanted." he said. "I was always messing with Lego, but a lot of the time I didn't use the directions. I’d look at the picture on the box, and figure it out from there." This is a familiar foundation for many blossoming creatives in our world. The special alchemy that would further push Kelly's life is a definite testament to what a human can accomplish if they put their unique desires into practice. 

True, many of us may say that we've come to certain realizations through simple or profound events at specific stages in our life. In addition, this transformative influence caused us to express unbridled creativity which enlightened us to fulfill our soul's purpose. Well, not all of us are born creating beyond our years, like Mozart, Picasso, or Andres Valencia. Few of us have ever had a mysterious moment of awakening where we have gone from uninspired and unmotivated to groundbreaking and creatively transformed within a few moments of exposure. Many of even the most artistic and inquisitive amongst us often need a critical exposure to that special spark through associations, mentors, or positive reinforcement to ignite that fuel that exists deep within the creative soul. As we think back to our earlier days, before the enthusiast bug took that first bite and made that itch last forever, we can remember those times that prepared our mind for a different kind of excitement that only a special few can identify. Kelly's launching pad into loving the auto world was not that much different as his memories confirm. "I’ve liked cars as long as I can remember." Kelly said with appreciation. "I wasn’t so much “into them” as a kid, I just really found them cool," he said. "I loved my toy cars. I was really into cars from movies like the 'Back to the Future' DMC Delorean, the BatMobile, and the Ghostbusters car." Kelly's appreciation and excitement for those early toys and fantastical vehicles that filled his imagination with questions as a young boy began to feed his born-in creative spirit and ingenuity by the time he craved being behind the wheel of his own vehicle. "As I got older and got my license, I started really finding an interest in cars and customizing cars, but it really was enhanced once the 'Fast and Furious' movie was released and that whole scene went mainstream." Like any young, ambitious person, Kelly began thinking more about the possibilities behind the vehicles he was seeing, hearing, and experiencing during his first years as a driver. Again, a familiar component of every enthusiast story is the moment when they realize where they belong in this diverse world, jump on, and hold tight to enjoy their life changing ride. Although the first seed handed to Kelly would not immediately grow, his desire to create and modify came from moments and motivations to come over the coming years.

Growing up comes by default with a needed measure of change, disappointment, and education which are all necessary for moving forward and learning who you will become in the future. As Kelly grew, he discovered many of these flavors while navigating through some life shaping events that he never thought would place him on the journey to his present existence as an enthusiast and unique brand of artist. Looking back at his first dip into the enthusiast/modifier pool he explained his unexpected transformation into the Subaru world with both humor and gratitude. "When I started, my dad was a Dodge guy, so I liked Dodges." Kelly explained. "But, when I got my license, I was given my dad's car, a 91 Subaru Legacy. I hated driving that thing." he remembers. "I was so embarrassed. Subaru was looked at as a joke then." By chance, his journey would begin by pouring his passion into a 1998 Dodge Stratus, his father's former vehicle which he purchased in 2001. "I went crazy with customizing that car all while attending automotive school in college where I was enrolled in the Chrysler (Jeep/Dodge) program." A few cars and some time later after graduating from the Chrysler program with an Associate Degree in Automotive Science at Mass Bay Community College, Kelly found himself unemployed and looking to get himself back in the automotive game. "While looking for a job, I got a call from a Subaru dealership seeing if I’d be interested in working there. A friend of mine mentioned my name when they were looking for a new tech." Kelly remembers as he reflects on his early memories of his first car. "I had no interest and I hated Subaru," he added. "I thought they were ugly, but figured I’d work there for 2 weeks until I found another job." Well, as the story sometimes goes and the song always sings, "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find...you get what you need," Kelly's journey and destiny with the Subaru brand would be out of his control. "I ended up there for almost 14 years." he said with gratitude and a positive spirit. "Once at the dealer I fell in love with those cars," he said. "I found them super reliable, easy to work on, and was impressed with how good they were in the snow... I sold all my cars and got a 2004 WRX." he proclaimed with pride. "I also got a 2013 Legacy that I drive each day and plan to drive until it doesn’t drive anymore. I have almost 200k on it and it is just as good as the day I got it." he confirmed. "Now, I'm more of a classic car guy, but if I had to pick a brand I’m loyal to, it’s definitely Subaru," he added. "I plan on daily driving one forever."

As briefly mentioned, Kelly's original, creative spark within the automotive realm was ignited by his first tastes of modification. All these fires were stoked throughout his ownership of his first few cars. Reflecting back on his earlier memories, Kelly revisited the experience he had with his dad's old 1998 Dodge Stratus by saying, "It sounds weird, but that car was highly modified." he repeated. "It had an intake, exhaust but that was as far as 'performance' since I have always been a show car enthusiast more than a racer," he confirmed. "That car had a full air ride suspension system, custom Gucci interior, a bunch of TVs and stereo equipment. It had a full body kit, side graphics, wing west rear touring spoiler and custom carbon fiber hood." Kelly explained. After completing a true performance modification on his 2004 Dodge SRT4 by lowering the vehicle, installing an intake, a BOV, a short shifter and various lights, his passion moved over to Subaru with his cherished 2004 WRX. "It had Full STI interior, all STI exterior body parts, Tein suspension, a COBB tune, and a bunch of other stuff." Possibly being categorized as a true Renaissance man in enthusiast circles, Kelly found himself weaving through the industry picking up a plethora of skills and creative ideas along the way. Learning more about his journey gives some solid clarification to how he blended both his technical knowledge, his ingenuity, and creative personality to begin accelerating quickly toward his future artistry. "I ended up at a custom car stereo shop where I learned a whole new side of the [automotive] business, a side I actually enjoyed more," he proclaimed. "We were doing custom media, TVs, system, lighting , etc. I was also doing full custom leather interior, back up cameras, satellite radio and a bunch of other cool accessories." he remembers. "I started at Subaru in 2006. There I became dealer certified, and often helped train new younger techs." Kelly continued with Subaru until leaving his position to work for a major US train company as a coach mechanic, which some might say has brought his life filled with inspiration, education, and motivation full circle to where he can apply his vast experience and vision into the natural gifts that have always floated close to his surface just waiting for the right experiences and opportunities to unleash the next chapter of his life as both a car lover, artist, and tech. A few years back, after taking in some inspiration from those in the industry who were obviously benefiting from their creative visions, Kelly saw people within the car culture break through the glass ceiling and demonstrate that art is more than painting on canvas.

Kelly worked for years within an industry he loves around something he learned to appreciate and accepted as his ultimate inspiration. As his ideas and life experiences began to align, Kelly thought that he would dive into the deep end of his pool and retrieve another level of creativity that he had not tapped before. "About 10 years ago I had an idea of building stuff out of car parts," he said. "Just something to display in my yard or house that represented me, a homeowner and car enthusiast. I also always thought welding was cool as hell. I tried it one day after work and made an elephant. Eventually it fell apart because I didn’t know how to weld." Kelly remembers fondly. "A little after that my dog passed away, I had an idea of putting his collar on display on a metal art dog so I gave it a shot and made a really cool dog." he explained. "Then I made another and another. Then started trying to make other things and eventually anything me or anyone could think of." Kelly's efforts and determination to hone his new artistry and craft began to pay off quickly with interest, accolades, and excitement. As the calendar turned over the next decade, Kelly began to transform his life from creative enthusiast to enthusiast artist. "I never imagined anyone would ever buy a piece from me." he said with amazement. “Ripleys Believe it or Not” purchased 4 guitars I made to display in their museums. I participated for many years at the World of Wheels in Boston, meeting car legend Gene Windfield, even selling him multiple art pieces of his own. I made pieces for Showtimes' hit show 'Shameless'.” Kelly continued as his list of accomplishments went on and on. "I’ve gotten to make trophies for some high profile clients and companies," he added. "I got to attend the Detroit AutoRama, Barrett Jackson, SEMA, and will be attending the Syracuse Nationals this year - all major events in the automotive world." Kelly confirmed with pride. "I’ve had pieces in magazines and feature articles online. I have become friends with so many people in the automotive world, and now have around 50,000 followers throughout multiple platforms." he added. "I now have my own 1800 sq. ft garage where I get to work everyday." This is not a bad resume for someone everyone knew as the artistic kid. Quite an example for those creative enthusiasts who question if there is a unique spot where they can fit. Obviously, looking at Kelly, we know there is. 

We can confirm that Kelly followed his intuition, his ideas, his passions and inspiration to pursue what gave him purpose and happiness just like that kid daydreaming after the 'Fast and Furious' credits rolled. After asking Kelly about the most challenging project he had ever completed, he confirmed, "Recently, I made a Bergamasco SheepDog - the hardest piece I ever did. I actually told the customer to give me about a week to think about if I even wanted to do it." he added. "It is basically a big mop. It took me a while to figure it out but I was determined to do it. As of yet, there is no piece I have never been able to not do." During this most recent leg of his artistic journey, Kelly has been hired by influencers and celebrities alike, but has new focus to bring his artistry to the masses through television and multimedia. "I would really like to get more video media coverage. I would really love to do something on TV or some kind of show. I think that would be fun." Above all the praise and great evidence that Kelly has blossomed into an innovative artist and creator of the finest caliber, he is not distant from the gratitude and appreciation of those around him that have supported his pursuit, his passion for conceptualizing, and his extreme desire for always thinking outside the box, no matter what the project entails or how difficult the challenge may be. His focus is clear but his support system and resource for motivation is the primary fuel that keeps his flame strong and his hands precise. When asking what is the main strength of importance that drives his efforts, Kelly notes, "Lastly, it would be how much my wife really helps me and allows me to do what I do." He says with gratitude. "She has supported me through this since day one. If it wasn’t for her, I couldn’t do anything I do. She has been very understanding about it, even though sometimes it means long nights or days away... She really steps it up to hold down the house for our family. That alone allows me to do what I do." To many enthusiasts just starting to walk this path, Kelly's journey could be seen to be one filled with unique experiences and travels that built a strong foundation to hold the individual he has become in his present life. This is a truth that cannot be denied. It is also true that this grown man had not experienced some profound moment of rebirth as a creative child causing him to quickly realize his purpose, drop everything and overlook the reality of life to follow a dream. Kelly's story is inspiring because, as a member of this vast car community, he took an idea and drove it home based on his love for creativity and the automobile. That is gold to anyone. Enthusiast or not.

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