Money Stories:How Money & Spirit Combine to Create Abundance, Author Connie Hill discusses her new book in Behind the Scenes Conversations interview

As an artist, I have always struggled with the relationship between making art and making money.  My observations after many years is that often there is no logic to this tenuous connection. There is only a tiny percentage of artists making big money and not many making a living at it. Still, artists persevere – continuing serious art practices in spite of limited earning potential. In a culture that primarily equates success with money earned, an artist’s sense of self and the value of their work is challenged.

In her recently published book, Money Stories: How Money & Spirit Combine to Create Abundance,

Author, Connie Carmichael Hill

Connie Carmichael Hill asks us to explore our relationship with money. Rather than providing answers, Hill writes about money’s influence on our emotional, spiritual and material life. Through 16 interviews she did with well-known spiritual teachers, Hill hopes the reader will gain insights into their own personal journeys to find greater balance, abundance and an understanding about how money operates over the course of our lives.

In our recent interview, Hill talked to me about her life – starting with childhood growing up in a large family in the Midwest As a young teen, Hill met a charismatic youth leader at her church who influenced her spirituality at a ‘deep level’. She was also influenced by  Dr. Albert Schweitzer whose non -traditional life was devoted to helping others. After marrying and having two daughters, Hill and her family moved to Portland, Oregon. There Hill received a BA degree in  Sociology from Portland State University.

Rattle - made in Connie's class

Hill spent the following ten years as a single parent and worked as an administrator at a large electronics company where her computer and public speaking skills were honed while managing the company’s many programs supporting United Way campaigns. After Hill was laid off from the company, her path toward helping others and spirituality was awakened - she decided to take classes in Shamanism and Buddhism. She also pursued her continuing interest in drumming and doing astrological charts. It was at that time that Hill found a job at New Renaissance, a metaphysical bookstore in Portland.  She became their events planner and scheduled all the workshops and lectures related to religion, spirituality, meditation and healing. It is here that Hill expanded her creativity and explored ways of reconciling how money operated in her life.

Money $tories (Book Cover)

Rather than continuing to work in jobs that utilized her skills but that did not fulfill her, Hill chose to follow her own ‘calling’ established many years earlier – serving others and teaching them on their road to finding their path.  This time she planned to focus on her own forms of creativity which include astrology, drumming, tarot, and to answer her nagging questions about money.  Hill did not plan to write a book – the idea came as she began to ask spiritual teachers about their own thoughts on money and bringing creativity and abundance into their lives. When she received an enthusiastic response to requests for interviews, Hill knew she had found her next step – to write her book.

Hill asks us questions about our lives – Are we following the path intended for ourselves? In terms of money, how much is enough and what would ‘enough’ look like? She strongly believes that if we follow our intended path, abundance likely follows.  Hill continues her journey as  leader, teacher and healer and is planning to create a workbook to go along with her book called Finding Your Money Stories and How it Can Help You on Your Road to Abundance.

Connie Hill's Drumming Class

Though it is not a “how to” book about bringing abundance into our lives, these intimate, thought provoking interviews and personal commentary inspire us to ask ourselves about abundance as it relates to creativity as well as providing a guide to evaluating how money operates in our lives. Perhaps thoughtful reflection can assist artists in putting our “money lives” into perspective. As artists, it is vital that we stay on our authentic course in creating work, while reconciling how money operates within this path. ‘Money’ has a long history of conflict – wrestling with its practical necessity and clarifying how we value ourselves and our work. 

                                                                                       

Connie Hill encourages readers to respond to her book and those interested in astrological readings, and her classes to contact her at: www.gmnite.com  gmnite@yahoo.com  www.facebook.com/moneystories

Her book  Money Stories is available on Amazon.com