We recently connected with Maria Moscato and have shared our conversation below.

Maria, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I started college as an Animal Physiology major at UC San Diego with a minor in Art. Looking through the microscope I seemed to always see a “painting” and with my love for sculpture I turned my degrees around and got my BA in Studio Visual Arts.
Going into an art profession wasn’t easy for my mindset which targetted wages more than being in the business of Art. I worked in visual merchandising, set design and later colorized black and white film and digitized Disney animation. Being unsatisfied with these types of jobs I started rennovating funriture into funky and colorful designs which lead to enrolling in the Master’s program in Design and Inudstry at San Francisco State.

After my MA I ended up in teaching and years later finally decided to go into the “business of art”. I began with applying a series of watercolors dedicated to my travels in Nambia onto children’ clothing. Collaborating with a Fair Trade Cooperative in Bali, Indonesia, I started selling my brand to museums, zoos and Aquariums.
This slowly faded and transformed into a new line of clothing dedicated to wellness and yoga- which I labeled Mia Luna. Born out of my passion for yoga and inspired by my selenite house in Bologna, Italy: I intertwined the story of the stone with visual interpretations that unflded into a series of paintings and prints dedicated to wellness and Italian design.

Maria, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

At this point, I’d like to share the story of how my brand, Mia Luna, evolved.

In 2020, my husband, daughter, and I purchased a selenite house in Bologna, Italy, located in the historic Borgo Gessaiolo district. My curiosity about the stone itself and its fascinating history inspired me to create a visual narrative exploring its unique properties and cultural significance.

As with many creative journeys, one idea naturally led to another. I began researching the deeper connections between selenite, Bologna, and the natural world, translating these discoveries into original designs that revealed both the stone’s intrinsic beauty and its relationship to the city’s history. Selenite, often referred to as a moonstone, contributed to Bologna’s historic nicknames, the “City of Silver” and the “City of the Moon.” In many ways, Mia Luna reflects the essence of this inspiration.

Adding another layer of meaning, our home is located on Via dell’Angelo Custode (Guardian Angel Street), a connection that resonated with selenite’s association as an angel stone. These influences culminated in my first original design, Selenite Mandala—a closed circular form reminiscent of the moon, featuring spiraling botanical motifs that suggest moonlight reflecting the natural world below. During the creative process, an unexpected pattern emerged: a tessellation of angel wings woven seamlessly into the design.

The most natural way to bring these prints to life was through sustainable clothing. I began designing and producing a Made in Italy collection featuring my original selenite-inspired artwork. Each garment is handcrafted by skilled Italian tailors and created using organic bamboo fabric, combining sustainability, comfort, and artistry.

Over the years, my work expanded into seamless textile patterns for home décor, while continuing to draw inspiration from Italian architectural details, historical motifs, and traditional design elements. Creativity, for me, is an unfolding process—one that must continually evolve and flow in order to remain vibrant and authentic.

My background in sustainable design has also played a significant role in shaping my work. After completing a Master’s thesis focused on sustainable architecture and traditional design, I pursued the technical side of the building industry and became a licensed building technician. This path eventually led me to speak and consult on Wellness Design within the swimming pool sector, where I explore the relationship between water, architecture, sensory experience, and wellbeing, often referencing the enduring influence of Made in Italy design. Perhaps fittingly, selenite itself is deeply connected to water, bringing this journey full circle.

Today, in addition to creating original designs through Mia Luna, I offer consulting services for outdoor and aquatic environments that seek to foster wellness, sensory engagement, and meaningful connections between people and place.

For more information, visit www.mialunadesign.com.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I enjoy teaching art just as much as I enjoy creating it. I believe that every person possesses a creative force, whether it is expressed through visual arts, music, entrepreneurship, design, or another form of innovation. Engaging in a hands-on creative process can open new pathways in the mind, helping us overcome limiting beliefs and reconnect with our innate capacity to create.

As an artist, I am drawn to creating work that people can relate to on a personal level—art that tells a visual story, evokes emotion, or inspires a sense of wellbeing and connection. To me, art is never a solitary experience. It exists in the relationship between the creator and the viewer, and it comes fully alive when it is shared. For that reason, I sometimes find it difficult to see completed pieces sitting in the studio. Art is meant to be experienced, lived with, and integrated into people’s lives.

While there are many talented artists in the world, I believe there is space for all of us. Every artist brings a unique perspective, voice, and story, and every work of art will find the audience it is meant to reach. Rather than seeing creativity as a competition, I see it as a collective expression of human potential—one that becomes richer when we each contribute our own vision.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Like many creative entrepreneurs, I have faced my share of challenges throughout my journey. One of the most difficult aspects of pursuing creative work is maintaining momentum when financial uncertainty and setbacks can easily lead to discouragement.

What has given me the resilience to continue is my long-standing practice of meditation and yoga. I believe that by learning to master the mind, we become better able to cultivate and express the unique gifts we bring to the world. Creativity requires perseverance, and perseverance requires inner strength.

For anyone who has ever felt tempted to give up on a dream, I encourage the practices of meditation, mindfulness, and disciplined self-development. Without resilience, it is easy to lose sight of our purpose and the vision that inspires us.

While this may sound like a cliché, I have found it to be a profound truth. As a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, I practice these principles daily and have experienced their transformative effects firsthand. Disciplines such as yoga and martial arts teach us focus, patience, and self-mastery. By strengthening the mind, we unlock our capacity to create, grow, and bring our fullest potential into the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mialunadesign.com/
• Instagram: mia_luna_design
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-moscato/

Image Credits

All photographs taken by Mia Luna photography. Wallpaper in room downloaded onto an image from Freepiks.com