Street artist Kimberly Brown, who goes by the artist name “Boots,” knows firsthand art can heal the heart. Ten years ago, the Chicago-based artist went through a bad breakup that inspired her to put pen to paper.
What You Need To Know
- New data published by the CDC’S National Center for Health statistics shows depression is becoming more common in the U.S.
- The report shows that more than 1 in 8 Americans 12 and older have been depressed in recent years
- Since 2015, depression prevalence has nearly doubled, from 7.3% to more than 13% in 2021-23
- One traveling poet is hoping to help change these statistics
- Through offering a simple message of support and encouragement she helps people who are struggling across state lines
“Spray painting is my therapy,” Brown said. “The whole poetry thing for me is my healing journey.”
Bringing her writing to the world, she published her first poetry book in 2016.
“I just started kind of writing letters to him that I would never send him and then I turned those into my first book and I never really thought that it would be anything like, I kind of just wrote the book to, you know, put a dagger in him a little bit, or maybe have him see my perspective,” Brown said.
Kimberly Brown, also known as “Boots,” stands in the Short North in Columbus in front of a quote she sprayed on the sidewalk. (Spectrum News 1/Taylor Bruck)
One book quickly turned into two. Wanting to expand her reach even more, she began spray painting her quotes on sidewalks and sticking them to poles. She started the process in California in 2016 and is making her way to cities in all 50 states, with only about six states left to go. On April 16, she was in Columbus for the first time. She’s already sprayed in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo.
“I kind of hit as many as I can, and sometimes I like hitting smaller cities only because they don’t have as much art. So I feel like some cities need it more than others,” Brown said. “I did Puerto Rico, too, which was one of the best trips. And I’m going to finish this year.”
Her messages vary from hope and healing to many about breakups and avoiding toxic love, but they all have a similar purpose. She wants everyone to know it’s okay to struggle as we all are dealing with something.
“I struggle through a lot of mental health issues so a lot about mental health,” Brown said. “My main goal would be to help people heal, to make people feel that they’re not alone, to let them know that no matter what they’re going through, there’s a way through it.”
Her work is needed now more than ever. New research from the CDC shows depression rates for both children and adults are on the rise. More than 1 in 8 Americans ages 12 and older have been depressed in recent years, according to the new report. Dr. Gage Jordan, assistant professor of psychology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said there are many reasons including lingering effects of social isolation from the COVID-19 pandemic, the overwhelming nature of peoples’ day-to-day lives and people feeling more comfortable speaking about mental healh issues and seeking help.
“What these statistics say is that nobody’s immune to it,” Jordan said. “It can affect anybody of all backgrounds and that’s important to recognize because we interact on a daily basis with people of various backgrounds. So if we can just kind of understand where other people are coming from, do recognize that everybody has this propensity to struggle, because that’s in part what it means to be human. Well maybe we can be a little bit more human to one another as a result of that.”
He said people should take the statistics as a warning sign for society. He recommends people connect with each other more in person, get out in nature, eat healthy and exercise regularly.
“Think about ways in which we can show compassion to one another, to engage with one another in a way that’s meaningful, and make changes more systematically so that we can eventually bring these rates down and start cultivating a life that’s worth living, and a life that has a little bit more meaning than we think it feels like it does right now,” Jordan said.
Brown hopes to encourage conversations around mental health. With each quote she hopes to stop thousands of people in their tracks, allowing them to take a moment to pause and soak it in.
Kimberly Brown, also known as “Boots,” stands in the Short North in Columbus in front of a quote stuck to a poll on the sidewalk. (Spectrum News 1/Taylor Bruck)
“I feel like we just don’t live in the moment where maybe if I can get them to stop for a second and read something and have them, you know, be in the moment,” Brown said. “I feel like we’re just constantly looking for that next thrill, scrolling, whatever we’re doing and I feel like if we could just pause and breathe and appreciate where we’re at, we wouldn’t always feel so unsatisfied.”
She aims to connect people across state lines through simple messages and the shared human shared experience of both joy and pain.
“I didn’t think at first it would be that impactful but I probably get 200 messages a day sometimes where people are just like, even if it’s just like a thank you that made my day,” Brown said. “I’ve had people tell me, like, I feel like you’re just following me, spreading hope. And I love that feeling to where there’s multiple people who can see me in so many different cities.”
She reminds everyone that small words of kindness can truly make a big difference.
“Everybody just expressing some level of kindness to people could really change their day,” Brown said. “And I hope that it just inspires people to live their best life.”
You can also find Brown’s poetry on wearable art like sweatshirts, buttons and stickers on her website. If you want to follow along with her journey, she can be found here.
