I was initially inspired to do the Wall Street series after taking a trip to Wall Street in 2008. I was struck by the interesting shapes the building made in the sky and the relatively straight laced demeanor. I created this series from late 2009- early 2010 as the recession was (and still is) very much intact. After reading about the greed and gluttonous culture that existed on the principle of exploiting other people's money and learning of the losses that some people (if not everyone) suffered, I realized that when you have a financial system with derelict regulations fueled by an insatiable hunger for money, the worst can come out in people. I did a lot of research for this series and really enjoyed reading political essays and articles, especially  from Rolling Stone magazine. I was also particularly interested in a booklet written in 1929 called "Caught Short! A Saga of Wailing Wall Street" by Eddie Cantor and David Freedman about investing everything and failing miserably, told in a humorous tone and illustrating the fact that there will always be risk involved in life and affairs. Perhaps it's the consumer's job to be skeptical of their investments and in control of their money, and never bestowing your trust with just anyone. I was also inspired by the movies Boiler Room and the original Wall Street, which I thought illustrated a similar concept.