There’s a quiet ache that comes at the end of a creative cycle.
Not a sadness, exactly, just a shift.
From holding the work close…
to releasing it.
That’s the heart of the Waning Moon phase in Artifex Lunaris.
This is the moment of refinement, of loosening your grip, of soft release.
Of preparing the space for what might come next.
It reminds me of a moment in high school—when my art was shown in the school exhibit. I remember standing in the hallway, looking at something I had made now living out in the world. I felt exposed. Seen. Unsure whether it was good enough, but also quietly proud that I had let it be visible.
Years later, I felt that again—this time with my novels. Publishing them wasn’t the celebration I imagined. It was… tender. Vulnerable. The work was no longer mine alone. It belonged, in part, to whoever read it.
Art is shaped by the artist’s intent, yes.
But it also becomes a conversation.
A bridge between creator and receiver.
That’s what I explore in the waning moon phase of Artifex Lunaris—not sharing as performance, but as invitation. A clearing of space in the studio. A breath out.
You don’t have to share everything.
You don’t have to publish or post.
But you might want to whisper your piece into the world somehow.
And if you do—that’s sacred.
🌘 Artifex Lunaris is available now:
A lunar studio for artists, writers, and anyone reclaiming the right to create.
The waning moon is where we begin to let go.
https://mmnellis.gumroad.com/l/artluna
With open hands,
Margaret
Letters from the studio, insights from the stars