Chicago's spray-painting poet brings positivity to the streets

CHICAGO -- Boots, otherwise known as Kimberly Brown, is a Chicago poet and artist. She brings her art to the masses by spray painting her poems all across the nation, in 34 states to be exact.

Her inspirational messages resonate with people so heavily that she is now being invited to cities such as Nashville and Corpus Christi to paint the towns with her poetry.

Adding her Instagram tag (@poetrybyboots) to the sprays has allowed her to create a loyal following on social media.

"Every day, I get about 200 tags of the sidewalk sprays or messages," Boots said.

But, her journey did not start out as positive.

"I never really started writing it until I went through the trauma of a breakup, and then I just decided, lets try to express this the best we can and try to get these emotions out, and it just kind of flowed out of me."

She has turned pain into poetry and thousands of people across the country have found solace in her words.

"Someone wrote me recently and told me that my book and seeing my sidewalk sprays was like their bible in rehab. That stuff is so empowering to my journey, knowing that just a simple stencil on the sidewalk can truly impact peoples lives," Boots said.

The sidewalk sprays were only the start. She is now the author of two books, "Cancun" and "Fury," in addition to successfully selling merchandise adorned with her poems so her readers can have access to her poetry on a more personal level.

Boots said she does this, not for the fame or recognition, but because of the connection it allows her to create with others.

She explains her intentions and begins the sprays saying, "I realized how therapeutic it was for me, but it also helps me let people know that they're also not alone."

You can follow Boots on Instagram @poetrybyboots.