Editor’s note: Tastemakers is a column where we give you, the readers, a glimpse into what we at The Spectator are interested in (fashion, music, pop culture, etc.) It also takes heavy inspiration from Perfectly Imperfect, a paid Substack with content in a similar format.
This week, we’re looking through the eyes of Multimedia Editor Godwin Agbara. He’s a third-year English major with a journalism minor. He likes to spend his days walking around the city, watching how the world interacts with itself. On the weekends he performs with his band.
He loves hanging out with friends, talking about movies and playing with his roommate’s cats. Let’s hear some more about what he holds dear.
Music: If you know me, you know how much I love music. In elementary school, my teachers had me sing in front of the class to start the day, which was embarrassing, but ultimately led me to making music. So I guess I have to thank them.
I’ve been making music for eight years now. My brother bought me my first guitar, an electric-acoustic Washburn. I took three free guitar lessons and then started learning songs on YouTube, the first being “Fallin’ All In You” by Shawn Mendes. That opened the floodgates for me to learn chords and start writing my own music.
That then led to producing. I learned how to use Logic Pro X, a digital audio workstation made by Apple. I learned how to record, sample, and mix my own stuff.
Since then I’ve been a part of multiple music groups and projects. My favorites being my groups DOG PAULSON, The Doghouse and Yomchi. I’ve been doing live shows with The Doghouse since April 2024 and recently started releasing my original music onto streaming services under the name Yomchi.
Outside of making music, I am just a general music enjoyer. Music has always given me a sensation no other medium has. I can feel colors when I listen to a song. An album can transport you to a new space — it’s like magic.
Fashion: I’m a stern believer in that if you wear something with confidence, it will look good. I love fashion and clothes as a form of expression. The art of fashion has only grown more prevalent in my life as the years have gone by, and I think it’s noticeable if you’ve seen me walking around.
Back in highschool, I was a part of the broadcast journalism class. They gave me my own show called “Fitpics and Fashion,” where I’d rate students’ outfits. My fashion sense wasn’t the best then, but running the show gave me a reason to step up my game. Now Pinterest is my best friend.
A part of my indoctrination into the fashion community came from thrifting as well. I started working at a thrift store called Savers while I was in highschool, which introduced me to a new way to shop.
It’s always been fun for me to walk around the aisles, looking at the clothes and thinking of the story behind them. Especially the really funky ones. But thanks to that, my entire closet is almost entirely second-hand. Which I don’t mind.
Cameras: This is residual from my broadcast class. I now have a strong affinity to cameras and filming. I have around seven film cameras, two polaroids, five point-and-shoots and two DSLR cameras in my possession. Half of them don’t work, but that’s not the point.
There’s an aesthetic to a film camera sitting in your room that you just can’t beat. But I love taking pictures with the ones that work.
I carry my point and shoot with me almost every I go. Filming and taking pictures is always one of my favorite things to do on the day-to-day.
Agbara can be reached at [email protected].
