How did you become inspired to create these designs?

When I (Carter) was recovering from my boat strike injuries, I was looking for hobbies to get my mind off the trauma of the previous months. While I was in the hospital, my cousin gave me a variety of art supplies and encouraged me to try them out. I was fascinated by what artists could create with colored pencils so I decided to give them a shot and drew a Queen Angelfish. I had a great time drawing the intricate details of the fish and was inspired to capture the beauty of aquatic life in my art.

Throughout the years, I’ve worked with fish in aquariums or encountered them in the wild. I noticed the distinct, elaborate colorations each species possessed. The meticulous details on each animal I draw continues to amaze me and makes me appreciate the true scope of biodiversity we have on this planet. My goal is to share this beauty that lies within the variety of aquatic life through my drawings.

My family loved the drawings and thought making them into stickers would be the perfect way to share them with the world. These sticker designs came to be with the help of my family and Andy.

What marine species are featured on these stickers?

At the moment, the stickers for sale in LMC’s gift store feature a Great White Shark, Spotted Eagle Ray, French Grunt and a Loggerhead Sea Turtle.

In the near future, we plan on releasing new designs that feature all the sea turtle species that surround South Florida and several popular saltwater and freshwater fish species.

Where will the proceeds go toward specifically?

The proceeds will specifically go towards LMC’s aquariums. This includes our current exhibit hall tanks as well as future aquariums that will be included in the capital expansion. This also pertains to any educational programs incorporated into these aquariums.

Why is it important to educate more people on aquatic life?

It is important because all aspects of life on earth are connected. Every small interaction we have with the environment can lead to a large, negative chain reaction in the ecosystem if we are not aware of what makes it thrive. The more we learn about and appreciate aquatic life, the more effort we will exert into protecting the ecosystems and preventing human activities from damaging them.

How can supporters follow Florida Fish Boyz for more aquarium and fish content?

They can follow us on Instagram and TikTok @floridafishboyz and we post a couple times a week. We plan on expanding to new platforms, like YouTube, in the future. To learn more about our story, read LMC's blog.