Inherited Habits

“Inherited Habits” explores the generational evolution of consumption habits within my family, shaped by the intersection of immigration, scarcity, and capitalist influence. My parents, who immigrated to the U.S. with very little, hoard out of necessity—keeping objects as symbols of survival, resourcefulness, and security. In contrast, my sister, growing up in abundance, embraces excessive spending fueled by modern consumer culture and platforms like TikTok. The video opens with b-roll footage of my community in Historic South Central Los Angeles, a predominantly Hispanic and immigrant neighborhood. The visuals show streets lined with trash and neighboring homes with porches overfilled with items—a reflection of shared experiences rooted in scarcity, adaptation, and systemic challenges. These scenes ground the work in a broader cultural and socioeconomic context, connecting personal narratives to collective realities. By weaving together cluttered spaces and discarded items, I examine how habits of keeping and buying reflect cultural adaptation, identity, and the pressures of capitalism. The work highlights how what we inherit—physically, culturally, and emotionally—shapes our relationships with objects and one another. This film invites viewers to question the meaning we assign to the things we hold onto and the things we acquire and to reflect on the cycles of consumption that define both our homes and our communities.