By: Zach Miller

Bahamian artist Agajuan Culmer is doing at 23 what many creatives fail to do: building multiple creative lanes without losing himself in any of them.

Growing up in the Bahamas, Agajuan was drawn to performance long before he had a stage. “I was captivated by the performing arts, often spending time alone creating scenes in my mind and embodying different characters. I’d dress up, make up songs, and dream of being on a stage or screen.”

Today, Agajuan has channeled this inner world into a music career as a singer-songwriter and into UNAJ, a photography and marketing brand he founded in 2020. He operates across two distinct creative disciplines, with a mission to maintain the Bahamian identity.

The Problem With How the Industry Talks About Multi-Talented Creatives

The creative industry loves a multi-hyphenate in theory. In practice, it punishes them. Artists who do more than one thing are told they lack focus. Photographers who write music get placed in neither box. And the pressure to specialize to become one thing leaves many creatives either shrinking themselves or burning out trying to be everything at once.

Polymathic individuals often produce more innovative work, but only when their output is anchored to a clear internal purpose. Without that anchor, there is no breadth, only noise.

How Agajuan Culmer Uses Identity as Creative Strategy

As a creative, Agajuan keeps everything he does connected to a philosophy of identity. He doesn’t separate his music from his photography work. He treats them as two expressions of the same instinct: the instinct to tell a story that matters.

His debut album, Village Van Gogh, reflects this. He describes his work as “creating detailed worlds” within each release. His pen is vulnerable, and his perspective is earned. The coming-of-age themes in his music are reflective of his identity and journey. He also focuses on self-growth and blooming into a confident version of himself. For example, “I am the color can’t unsee or shrink.” (Track 12, Glass Pulpit)

A part of his focus in music is the reflection on the ugly parts of humanity. “Oh hypocrisy, it leaves a stain / You can’t outturn the guilt and pain / You can’t escape what follows you / The truth you hide will surface soon.”

The conviction of someone who knows what they believe and is willing to put it on record holds his creative identity together across music, photography, and platforms.

His ambition goes beyond personal output, too. “My dream is to not only share my own creativity and gift with the world, but to also open doors for others from my homeland, showcasing the unique talent and culture we hold.”

This long-term vision embedded in every project feeds something larger. “We’re takin’ flight, leavin’ the dark,” he sings in High, track 9 of the debut album.

UNAJ and the Connection Between Photography and Music

UNAJ is a fully realized brand with its own aesthetic philosophy. Agajuan founded it in 2020 after drawing a parallel that the relationship between music and photography is closer than it looks. A subject in a photograph, he argues, plays the same role as a melody in a song. Both anchor the narrative and carry emotion through structure.

UNAJ covers photography with intention as the common thread. Every shoot is approached, in his words, as “an opportunity to tell a meaningful story.”

UNAJ’s services include headshot sessions, portrait sessions, beauty photography, maternity photography, family photography, commercial shoots, personal branding, social media strategy, content marketing, editorial projects, and more.

The brand has also expanded into social media strategy and marketing planning. The marketing packages are designed for creatives, entrepreneurs, and small businesses who want consistency, growth, and a clearer visual identity.

“To truly support artists, creatives, and a thriving creative ecosystem, society needs to foster an environment where artists feel free to grow, develop, and express themselves authentically,” Agajuan shares. He is busy building that environment through his music, through UNAJ, and through the doors he intends to open for other Bahamian creatives behind him.

A Career Built on Bahamian Identity

Agajuan Culmer’s multi-disciplinary career is built on a clear sense of purpose and identity. His brand, UNAJ, incorporates a cohesive philosophy for music, photography, and marketing. With his work, he is embracing every part of the Bahamian identity across every medium he touches.