Brown-Eyed Girl is a collection of poems and photography born from the author's heartache, transformed into vulnerable and inspirational art.

I have been many things in my life, but in my subconscious core, I've always been a writer. I've been telling stories and creating worlds for as long as I can remember. I wrote poems as a young girl, but it wasn't until the pandemic lockdown that I rediscovered this part of myself at the bottom of heartache.

Overwhelmed with loneliness, poetry poured out of me. As my sadness faded, I shelved my poetry journal. Weeks later, mesmerized by the sun and inspired by joy, a poem meandered into my mind. I had been operating under the false belief that artists had to be in pain to create; realizing any emotion could create art was a revelation. Positive poems burst out of me.

Months after that, an intuitive told me to bask in the bliss of the book I was writing. I told her I wasn't writing a book.

One day, while writing a poem on the beach, I realized I rarely read my poems after writing them. I simply let them flow out of me and moved forward with my day, feeling a little lighter. Approximately 55 poems were in my journal, full of gladness and sorrow. I flipped to the very first page and read what I had written on March 18, 2020: A Book of Poems by TF.

Chills covered my body: this was the book.

Half of this book was born of longing when I was isolated during the shutdown, while the other half emerged from a place of happiness and power. Everyone is made of darkness and light; one cannot exist without the other. The contrast between them is what makes life meaningful. So much of the beauty in our lives is born of situations that, at the time, felt earth shattering.

Brown-Eyed Girl is for everyone. If you've had a broken heart, been in love, felt something while reading poetry, are passionate about photography, or feel deeply, this book is for you. May my words and photos within these covers inspire you to look for love within yourself and to express gratitude for the beauty that surrounds each of us.

I dare you to pick up a pen and write about your feelings, start your own self-care practice, chase your dreams, and live fully.

I began writing poems to heal myself. That led to the realization this book had begun without my knowing, and here, to this very moment, you are holding its physical manifestation.

Anything is possible. No aspiration is too big.

Dream. Create. Believe.