Meet the Artist
Hello, I'm Monica!
I'm the artist and photographer behind Floridalust. Born and raised in Ohio, I took a leap of faith when I moved to Florida in July 2015. My original path and reasoning for coming to Florida did not ultimately pan out, so I found myself over 1000 miles from home all alone. During this time I channeled my desire to explore new places and learn the history of my new home into my photography. Being in nature exploring my new surroundings while having a "tourist in my own state" mindset cemented my decision to remain in Florida and build something here for myself.
It wasn't until June 2018 on a whim I decided to start the Floridalust Instagram account. Fun Fact - the original name of my account was Flohioan, a combo of Florida + Ohioan. It didn't seem quite right and I eventually settled on "Floridalust" and created a definition of what the word and brand meant and it just stuck. I wanted to share my love for this state and show that it is so much more than theme parks and beach resorts. Florida to me is represented by the miles of untouched beaches and remote islands in the Ten Thousand Islands and the Dry Tortugas, the sprawling wild plains of the Everglades, the fascinating array of habitats of Big Cypress, the vast expanse of open ocean in Biscayne and the magical underwater world of our coral reefs throughout the Florida Keys.
Creating content for this account excites me, makes me appreciate where I live and helps to spread joy and awareness to many others. I never imagined my little "just for fun" account would have grown this big, but I'm grateful every day for all of my followers and supporters, I wouldn't be here without you! Be sure to follow along on Instagram (@floridalust) for my most up to date content & visit my Etsy store to purchase prints and other Florida inspired artwork.
Thank you so much for stopping by-
Monica
Photo taken at Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas National Park (Garden Key) - my favorite place in this state! It's 70 miles west of Key West and only accessible by boat, ferry or sea plane.