Making Real is a truth-fluid space, demystifying culture and repurposing narratives.
What does Making Real mean?
Authenticity isn’t found, it’s made.
We like to believe that the real is something pure, untouched, and waiting to be discovered. But in reality, authenticity is always constructed, repackaged, and sold back to us. From handcrafted luxury to algorithm-curated “realness,” the pursuit of authenticity is both an industry and an illusion. But is that really a bad thing?
Making Real explores this paradox. How do brands, artists, and individuals construct what feels true? Why do we chase nostalgia for a past that never existed? And in an age of AI influencers, deepfake intimacy, and curated imperfection, is anything actually real anymore?
Why This Matters
Because we live in an authenticity economy. The things we trust, the products we buy, and even the way we see ourselves are shaped by invisible forces that tell us what feels real.
It’s not a binary question of what’s authentic or not, it’s about understanding how authenticity is being made, right now.
Who is the author, Oz Sargin?
Oz Sargin is a Zillennial who has lived on 3 continents, currently based in LA, working as an ex-VML, ex-Landor multiple award winning brand strategist and cultural intelligence writer for WGSN, Future Laboratory and Canvas8.
I’ve lived and worked in Istanbul, London, and LA, moving through different definitions of power, influence, and authenticity. That’s why I recognize the performance behind those who get to be on stage, because as a minority, I’ve always been part of the backstage.
I’ve always known that standing in the spotlight doesn’t make you any more real, it just makes you more visible.
So with that lens, I’m here to break down how realness is made, who profits from it, and why we keep chasing it.
“Truth always rests with the minority, and the minority is always stronger than the majority, because the minority is generally formed by those who really have an opinion, while the strength of a majority is illusory, formed by the gangs who have no opinion.”
- Soren Kierkegaard
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