Origins
From sepia, the brown-toned photographic color grading used to depict Kansas in The Wizard of Oz, contrasted with the saturated color of Oz. In film history, sepia has come to signify the ordinary, the real, and the unembellished, life without enchantment but also without illusion.
Meaning
Sepia is the moment we realize the magic we were searching for was never external. The teachers, systems, substances, or answers we believed would transform us quietly lose their spell, and what remains is something simpler and more honest. There is no disappointment in Sepia, only relief. The world looks less dazzling but more livable, and what once felt plain now feels sufficient. Home is no longer something we need to escape to or from.
Usage
Nothing dramatic happened, it just went Sepia, and we knew the searching was over.