These past years have reminded me the importance of saying “yes” to fewer things in order to do the things I do better. Did I lose you already? In other words, when I resist over committing to too many things, I am more able to be present and pour my all into a select few commitments.
For some context, occasionally I step away from social media for a while to focus my energy into preparing the shop for its next chapter. While perhaps not a savvy move for satiating the appetite of the algorithm, it’s been absolutely necessary for me to be able to tend to all of the little details of the shop before a release or to gain some new creative insight or perspective.
At various points throughout the year, I take some time to reflect on the clarity of my intention — how clear is my message? Does my audience [that’s you] know what I offer, when I offer it, and how they can access it?
In case you have some uncertainty, this post is for you; or even if you think you know, you just might learn something new that can serve you in this space. This blog post is break down of everything you need to know about Hina Luna that you can find in one easy place. Things like, what is it I offer, when new offerings are released, how to get the secret passcodes to shop seasonal releases before they’re released to the public, where to find all of Hina Luna’s free offerings, and more.
Everything you need to know about Hina Luna in one place
Who
Let’s start with an introduction. Hello, I’m Haley, the dreamer, dyer, artist, curator, and hands of Hina Luna. Sprouted in Northern California, now replanted and well rooted on Hawai'i Island, I am a lifelong art maker, nature lover, relic worshipper and adornment enthusiast. My inspiration blooms from the places I call home [including my own ancestral lands], from the practice of everyday personal rituals, and my experience of just being in the world.
Painting and drawing has always been my first love and was the focus of my studies during my school years. It is through my experience as a painter that I became enraptured with color and concept and found that I could express all of the things in my heart and mind through symbolism. When I moved to Hawai’i in 2012, I cultivated my relationship with the plant world, which has deepened and expanded in more ways than I ever could have expected since venturing into the world of plant dyes in 2016. Color, plants, textiles — I feel like I’ve found home in my artistry.
Over the past few years, I have been reweaving the threads that is the tapestry of my own ancestry. Reconnecting to the people who came before me and the lands they hail from has become a guiding light along my journey with Hina Luna.
When I’m not stirring dye pots or block printing or finding new treasures to bring into the shop, I find joy in creating beautiful meals with humble ingredients, the company of my three black cats and herd of goat companions, and sitting around a pit fire with my beloved partner after a full day tending to the land.
What
Hina Luna is a creative inquiry into bridging the connections between body, altar, and home; a devotion to and honoring of simple pleasures, personal talismans, kitchen table culture, and ancestral connection. All if this is expressed through thoughtful offerings of seasonally-released plant dyed and block printed textiles and artworks made in my home-studio in Hawai’i as well as curated treasures made by other artisans and makers that you can find in the shop all year through.
Original works from the Hina Luna home studio include plant dyed and block printed altar cloths, aprons, linen pillowcases, plant dyed table and kitchen linens, annual moon calendars, zines, and the occasional wearable garments.
Where
I create and run my shop out of my home studio on Hawai’i island, land belonging to the Kānaka Maoli people. Hina Luna is an online shop only, that occasionally pops up at local-to-me events and virtual markets like the Modern Witches Confluence.
Hina Luna’s collection of On Paper goods (calendars, cards, zines) can be found through
SunMoon, online [Portland, OR]
Rabbit Brush Goods, Portland, OR
Kiya’s Naturals, Nevada City, CA
Altar Movement Studio, online [Friday Harbor, WA]
When
For 2022, studio releases are scheduled to happen quarterly on the full moon before every equinox and solstice [spring, summer, fall, and winter] and are announced via newsletter the morning of the release. Moon Circle mailing list subscribers will receive a special passcode that allows early access to the shop before the release has gone live for the public.
Conceptual Inspiration
Behind the name The moon is my steady muse and the namesake of this heart-work. ‘Hina’ honors the moon deity of the place I call my home in Hawai’i and her plant body representations, and ‘Luna’ is a nod to the moon spirit of my own Italian ancestry. The name itself is a bridge between homes. I find inspiration in the moon’s gentle, quiet power; a light in the darkness; ever-evolving through its phases; in communion with the waters of both earth and body.
Working concepts Hina Luna is my creative inquiry into bridging connections between the concepts of body, altar and home. Through the symbology of my art and the natural materials used, I explore what it means to consider the body as both a home for spirit and an altar to be tended to for the sake of our selves and honoring our ancestors.
Hina Luna exists at the intersection of these concepts. By working with natural plant dyes and fibers and symbology inspired by nature, my intention is to cultivate a relationship with the world around us — the seen and the unseen.
Conceptual themes for seasonal releases are inspired by the collective experience through my personal lens. I artistically interpret emotional and social experiences through symbolism by “prescribing” the imagery of certain plants and natural shapes to inspire healing, balance, comfort, motivation, and awareness, while leaving room for your personal interpretations and connections.
Sourcing Curations From Other Makers + Artists
I am honored to welcome the works of fellow creatives into the shop that align with the intention and ethos of Hina Luna. Some of these goods include tarot and oracle decks, beeswax candles, guided journals, and independent publications and are brought into this space in small batches. Hina Luna prioritizes sourcing products made by Hawaiian, women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ makers and artisans. As a single owner, woman-led creative business, it is important to me to invest in these communities of makers and provide a platform that works towards more equitable wealth distribution.
Things That Are Both Beautiful and Purposeful
Hina Luna’s collection of studio-made goods and curated treasures from fellow makers are offerings to the altar of your spirit, body, and home. They are both talismans and tools to be interacted with daily that celebrate simple pleasures, making space for moments of pause, quality craftsmanship, a life lived slowly and intentionally, and honoring our ancestors by caring for ourselves.
Every item that is present in the shop has been carefully considered and chosen. I will never offer items that will quickly end up in the landfill or that I don’t believe can serve a purpose for you for many moons to come.
People and Planet
All items are created or curated with the intention to honor both people and planet. Natural materials, ethical creation processes, and a balance of function and form make up the foundation from which I create and curate from.
For Hina Luna’s textile goods, quality organic and carefully chosen second-hand natural fibers are used in combination with sustainable plant dyes.
Hina Luna’s collection of zines and print work is created with women owned and operated print shops as well as my locally owned small printing service.
Curated offerings are carefully chosen for their mindful creation practices, natural materials, and the individuals that make them.
With consideration of our earth, orders are lovingly shipped in biodegradable, plastic-free, and reused materials that can quickly and safely reintegrate back into the earth.
My process embraces the slow movement and lives by the philosophy of having less, choosing better quality, and making things last. I believe these philosophies are easily practiced when we foster a connection to the tangible items we choose to surround ourselves with.
Every month in The Full Moon Missive and on the blog, Hina Luna highlights an individual or grassroots organization working through issues of social-, climate-, and racial justice, and empowering marginalized groups. This feature is an opportunity to learn and act from a place of solidarity and extends an invitation to join Hina Luna in supporting these featured individuals and organizations with monetary donations (when possible) and the free action of information sharing.
Let’s Go Deeper | other offerings from Hina Luna
The Hina Luna Moon Circle | more than a newsletter
Want to receive bi-monthly inspiration from Hina Luna? The Moon Circle is a community who delights in the human connection to the natural world and the unseen, who appreciates the art of adornment, who values things that are as purposeful as they are beautiful, and who cares about conscious consumerism and supporting ethical businesses for the sake of people and planet.
Every full moon readers receive a missive comprised of four easy-to-receive segments including current moon musings, insight on a featured offering from the shop, a [free] simple pleasure like music, art, or a recipe to enjoy, and a concluding feature I call Love in Action for sharing awareness of and solutions to issues that affect the collective. This is also where secret passcodes to shop new seasonal offerings before they’re released to the public are shared.
Plus, mini drops of inspiration every new moon containing exciting announcements, in process updates, and fresh posts from the blog.
Social Media
Connect with Hina Luna on Instagram for more daily shares on new creations in the works, curations coming in, and personal musings and inspirations.
The Blog
Congrats, you’re already here! Tune in for fresh posts every new and full moon. Here, we dive into creativity, ancestral connection, living slow with intention, current musings inspiring the Hina Luna studio, seasonal practices for connecting with spirit and self, as well as some glimpses behind the scenes that are only shared here. It’s a space to elaborate on all of the facets that make up and inspire Hina Luna that are too big for the ‘Gram.
Curated Playlists
Listen to Hina Luna’s collection of playlists on Spotify — specially curated to be the background to your creative processes, moments of rest, and seasonal moods.
One of my favorite ways to wind-down in the evening is to browse and pin my way through the world of Pinterest. While you’re searching for your next favorite recipe or craft project, hop over and journey through Hina Luna’s inspiring boards of found images and collections of personal works.
I hope this offers deeper insight into the heart of Hina Luna and provides you with some practical answers into how things function here. If you have any specific questions you’d like me to answer here, drop them below in the comments.
1 comment
I quietly follow along here and I wanted to share that I always appreciate your intention, care & all of the heart you put into what you create. Thank you for sharing your words & your world with us Haley.
~ with gratitude;
Maribeth