Is It Antonia or Amja? A Reflection

Identity, Healing & Purpose

Recently, someone I’ve known since childhood reached out with a simple yet thought-provoking observation about my identity. They said: “When I look at your socials, especially LinkedIn, I’m not always sure if I’m hearing from Amja of Amja Unabashedly or Antonia.”

That reflection sat with me and made me ask a deeper question on my representation. And here’s the answer; while my story is deeply interwoven with both identities, I haven’t always clearly communicated the difference, or the connection between them.

So, let me share!

Antonia

Antonia Lee (-Wilmot) is who I’ve always been. A curious, compassionate and resilient woman, navigating life, human connection, and adventure. I’ve always loved expressing creatively; singing, dancing, and doodling, but I have never formally studied art beyond secondary school. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I didn’t even take it as a GCSE.

Amja at The famous Rebel School facilitating a creative workshop

Amja

Amja is the name I gave myself. It’s an acronym of my birth names and in the order they were given. I claimed Amja as part of a rebirthing, a self-love agreement and a thriving process after surviving domestic abuse and coercive control.

In terms of artistry, I didn’t identify as an artist, until the day art found me when visual and performance artist Rachel Gadsden gave me a piece of canvas and encouraged me to let the canvas tell the story. At that time, my words were being lost to semantics and gaslighting. That canvas became my “Perception”, my voice. And from that voice came art, advocacy, public speaking, mentoring, and healing workshops.

“Unabashedly” is exactly what it sounds like, without shame or embarrassment. As part of my reclaiming journey I chose to move unabashedly, refusing to carry the shame of my experience of abuse, because the shame was never mine to hold.  Choosing to live and create without shame is not just part of my identity, it’s an act of resistance, self-compassion and healing. (Stay tuned for my upcoming blog: “Why The Shame Is Not Yours to Carry”)

Amja Unabashedly

Amja Unabashedly is my commercial venture: a business built around healing and transformation through creativity. It offers art, public speaking, and corporate workshops, all rooted in storytelling, lived experience, and purpose. Its tagline is: “Let Art Be Your Becoming” because art became a becoming for me.

Over time, “Let Art Be Your Becoming” became more than a tagline. It became a movement. A standout moment of that transition was during my “Let Art Be Your Becoming—With a Twist” exhibition at John Lewis & Partners.

So many people showed up for the exhibition, including friends and family, and expressed being moved by the visual storytelling in my art, the stories behind them and the themes of personal and collective healing. When a senior manager at John Lewis asked if I did corporate and community workshops, the seed of a second becoming sprouted roots.

That’s how “Let Art Be Your Becoming” grew into a nonprofit I co-founded with two incredible friends Tamika Johnston and Carmella Davies, fellow creatives who, like me, wanted to build spaces for joy and connection. Together, we created a space where all are welcome, especially Black women, while also embracing allyship from women and men across communities. We now host workshops, events, and retreats that keep creativity at the heart of joy and healing.

So yes, it’s all unabashedly me, but moving forward, I’ll be more intentional about clarifying who is speaking, and in what context.

So In Short:

When I communicate as Antonia, I’m sharing personal reflections, public speaking, and my own process of becoming.

When I communicate as Amja Unabashedly, I’m sharing as the artist, facilitator, and creative brand.

Both voices are authentic. Both come from the same heart. They simply serve different purposes, while simultaneously offer clarity when individuals want to engage with me in a business capacity.

Now that I have cleared that up, if you, your service users or your organisation want a creative, interactive and inspiring experience, contact me here and let art be your becoming. 

If you have any reflections you’d like to share, do add them to the comments section below. 

Love and Light Infinitely, 

Amja ❤️💫