“Creativity is Intelligence Having Fun” Albert Einstein
Every creative professional, from designer, photographer, copywriter, art director, videographer, production designer, content creator, and more, began in the same place: as an ARTIST.
Before titles, before clients, before deadlines, there was creative play.
As children, we drew, doodled, finger-painted, collaged, and daydreamed. We built our creative instincts through imagination and exploration. That foundation never really leaves us; it simply evolves.
I deeply value my professional life as a designer, continually learning and adapting as software advances, trends shift, and technology expands, including Artificial Intelligence and Generative A.I. But just as important is the ability to pause, step away from the screen, and reconnect with those original creative roots.
I make it a point to draw, doodle, paint, color, or collage every day. It keeps the work honest. It keeps the ideas fresh. It keeps me grounded. A little IRL activity for my soul.
My creative life spans branding, creative development, design, events, art-making, and helping others rediscover the joy of creating.
Some days I wear a suit, and some I wear an apron. Every day, I create something meaningful to me. I’m Full of GOOD IDEAS.
Creative Seven, llc
Full Service Advertising, Project Design, Events, and Creative Team-Building
Design
I’ve spent my career immersed in graphic design, beginning as a Production Designer and advancing to Senior Designer and Production Manager at a Fifth Avenue agency in New York City. Along the way, I started taking on freelance work, first for friends, then through referrals, as my reputation grew.
That momentum led to the launch of my own NYC-based design firm, Creative Seven, LLC, where I served as Creative Director for more than a decade. Operating out of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Creative Seven expanded beyond traditional design to include Art Services, such as Experiential Event Projects and Creative Team-Building workshops.
Leadership & Industry Experience
During the COVID shutdown, Creative Seven paused operations. I was subsequently recruited as Vice President of Communications Services for a multi-million-dollar corporation owned by a publicly traded parent company. Over four years, I led a high-performing creative department as a player-coach, managing the team while remaining deeply involved in hands-on creative development and project management.
Today
I am now back at the helm of Creative Seven, bringing together years of agency, corporate, and entrepreneurial experience to deliver high-impact creative solutions.
To learn more: www.creativesevenllc.com or explore my design PORTFOLIO
MY ARTFUL LIFE
I make art, teach people how to have fun making art, coordinate a program that empowers people to make artwork that is meaningful to them, and administer a worldwide art project that helps people to create, connect, and collaborate.
www.ARTisGOODforYOU.com
If we were all the same, this planet would be boring.
www.SimilarAlien.com
“See What You Feel” It is my empathic-self-portrait.
www.TimKellyArtist.com
A GLOBAL DAY OF CONNECTION
I’m developing a collaborative event called, The Global Day of Connection (2027). Communities, schools, businesses, organizations, and more… from across the country and around the world… all creating puzzle art at the same time, on the same day, in solidarity.
In today’s current climate, there is WAY TOO MUCH division. Let’s CONNECT, CREATE, and COLLABORATE together in a positive way. To learn more or to participate, message me at tk@timkellycreative.com or CLICK.
Some of My Favorite Artists (and why).
I’d encourage you to check them all out.
Chronologically…
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
This Italian Renaissance painter was much, much more than an artist. I was able to see the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. There were only about 100 people in front of me, but I’m 6’0, so I was able to see her.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci
(Mona Lisa)
Hans Holbein the Younger (1497–1543)
Holbein is the reason we all have an image of the 16th Century King Henry VIII in our heads.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Holbein_the_Younger
(Portrait of Henry VIII)
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571–1610)
This Italian Baroque painter excelled at striking realism. His painting of Judith Beheading Holofernes is one of my favorite renditions of the bible story.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravaggio
(Judith Beheading Holofernes )
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640)
This Flemish Baroque artist was also a diplomat and Knighted gentleman at Court, was well traveled and was unique in the sense that he had the social skills to develop relationships that led to commissions and comfort. Specifically, his relationship with Marie de’ Medici and the Spanish Habsburg rulers kept him busy and relevant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Paul_Rubens
(The Descent from the Cross)
Diego Velázquez (1599–1660)
Velázquez is one of the great Spanish Baroque artists. His portraits are some of the greatest ever painted (in my opinion)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Velázquez
(Self-portrait)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669)
This Dutch Master created dramatic effects by painting strong contrast between light and shadows in his art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rembrandt
(The Night Watch)
Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)
An Austrian Symbolist painter. His gilded painting, The Kiss, oozes sensuality.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Klimt
(The Kiss)
Edward Hopper (1882–1967)
Hopper, it was said, painted “Loneliness.” His painting, Nighthawks, depicts a late night scene in a Greenwich Village Diner. No one is talking, they are all just there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hopper
(Nighthawks)
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887–1986)
This Modern American painter created artwork that had feeling.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_O%27Keeffe
(Red Canna)
Egon Schiele (1890–1918)
Schiele’s paintings were the epitome of raw sexuality. This Bohemian artist got in a bit of trouble for his heavily sexualized artwork.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Schiele
(Self-portrait with Physalis)
Norman Rockwell (1894–1978)
Few American artists could tell such a rich story with their artwork. His many paintings of Americana graced the covers of The Saturday Evening Post and charmed the population. It’s hard not to love his work. He may be my all-time favorite American artist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Rockwell
(Triple Self Portrait)
Salvador Dalí (1904–1989)
This 20th Century superstartist was ART himself. He lived a Surrealist life.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvador_Dalí
(The Persistence of Memory)
Frida Kahlo (1907–1954)
Frida, a Mexican artist, is one of the most interesting humans to ever live.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo
(Self-Portrait Wearing a Velvet Dress)
Chuck Close (1940–2021)
Chuck is one of the great American artists. His massive geometric abstract portraits are like no other. I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Close on multiple occasions. He would likely not recognize me because he claimed to have Prosopagnosia, also known as Face-Blindness. I think Chuck was just clever and did not want to have to pretend to remember someone (:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Close
(Chuck painting a self-portrait)
Lori Early (Current)
Ms Early is a Pop Surrealist. Her stylized, elongated subjects echoed Mannerist elements and the dramatic lighting of the Baroque period. I was lucky enough to attend one of her shows at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in NYC.
https://www.loriearley.com
(Cory Lane)
