Money is often on Justine Smith’s mind and it’s evident in her work.

The British artist has made a living creating pieces out of world currencies.

Look for examples of her work on the walls at Hamilton Princess; the hotel’s owner Alexander Green commissioned a map of the island made with Bermuda bills.

Ironically, she didn’t worry too much about money at the start of her career: she’d squat wherever she could in London, and waitressed when things got tight.

Today, the price of her art can run as high as £50,000. She talked about her incredible rise with Lifestyle.

Q: How did you start making maps out of money?

A: The idea for making maps out of currency literally came to me in a dream. I tend to keep a notebook by my bed and write things down. So many ideas came from that one map and it led to so many other pieces of work. Of all my work, I am probably most proud of my world maps.

Q: Tell me about the money map of Bermuda.

A: By an amazing coincidence, when it was first commissioned Bermuda had their bank notes redesigned. The whole new series of the Bermudian dollar had just come out. My map was directly inspired by the silver seam that runs through the banknotes. I wanted to show off the banknotes as much as I could because they are so beautiful.

Q: Has anyone ever tried to steal a piece thinking the currency was folded into shape rather than cut, that it was worth something?

A: No, they haven’t, touch wood. But one of my early pieces was stolen from a hotel. I made a whole series of dog sculptures covered in this British comic, Beano. I used to read it a lot as a kid. One of these dogs was standing guard at hotel reception and at 3am some people came in and nicked it. Unfortunately, police later found it abandoned and damaged beyond repair. I think it was drunken thugs who took it. It was very upsetting.

Q: Does it cost a lot of money to make these pieces if you are using real currency?

A: It does represent an investment. When I first started I didn’t know where to get currency. Now I have a banknote dealer in Holland who specialises in current issue world banknotes. With my maps, I tend to use almost exclusively current issue notes. The idea is that you can read the maps politically, historically and culturally from the imagery on the bank notes. You can learn so much about a country by looking at its bank notes.

Q: Why do you use bank notes so much?

A: It gives everyone a connection to the piece. Almost everyone has some type of currency in their pocket, or has travelled somewhere. It forges a connection with people. That is why I like it as a medium.

Q: Do people ever get mad to see their currency used in a piece of art?

A: Yes, in 2007 I had a show in Dover Street in London. It was called Empires of the Sum. There is a very political aspect to money. In the window of the gallery I made a hand grenade out of US dollars. I had Iraqi dinar cut into the shapes of AK-47s. Then I cut dollars into handguns. There were whole strings of bullets cut from Afghani banknotes. Then I had a streamer of American dollars cut into the shape of a hooded prisoner, the Abu Ghraib figure from the Iraq war. I had some Americans come in and they went absolutely nuts.

Q: Were you creative as a child?

A: I grew up in Nicholashayne, Devon near Tiverton. I spent a lot of time running around in the fields making my own fun. There was creativity in the house. I can remember making a dollhouse set out of a cardboard box. I have always been into detail. I made a tiny telephone directory with little numbers in it for the dollhouse.

Q: Do you travel a lot?

A: Not so much. I have been to Miami and New York, but I would like to travel more. My work tends to travel more than I do. I, myself, tend to be squirrelled away in my studio.

Q: Are you going to be working while you are in Bermuda?

A: Gosh no, I just bought a sketchbook. I am planning to spend a lot of time looking at the plants and flowers as a lot of my work is inspired by them. One of my sculptures of a dandelion is in the Gold Lounge in the hotel. I used old English banknotes for the leaves.