Hello hello! I’m Teodora Buzea and I am from Cortland. It takes me 20-40 minutes to walk to school from my house and 30 seconds to roll out of bed to my computer, so this is quite the time-saver. This is my last semester as an undergraduate (English Major/Anthropology Minor) and my first time participating in a class taught by Dr. Savonick, so color me excited! Most of my interests fall into East Asian Pop Culture and Literature which influences my day-to-day life. After graduating, I am planning on coming back to SUNY Cortland for my M.A. and continue focusing on this growing subject.
This summer, I made it so that not a single day would be boring. If there is one thing that I despise, it’s not being able to do anything. One of the biggest things I did was partake in a drawing challenge called “100 Days of Sketching” over on Instagram. As the title says, the goal was to post any drawing that you made on that day onto the platform in order to gain drawing habits and accept unfinished/messy works as valid attempts. I typically draw anime fanart and, overall, art is just something that I am extremely passionate about. It is a goal of mine to one day write and draw a graphic novel series.
Speaking of graphic novels, I also spent some time working on my thesis project covering the subject of shoujo manga (Japanese graphic novels with a young female demographic in mind). As such, most of my summer reading list consisted of manga and light novels, as well as several books on the art of the literary medium. My favorite manga that I started to read this summer was Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo, which tells the story of a spy that forms an undercover family with an assassin clerk and a telepathic orphan girl and, along the way, forms inseparable bonds that make them a true family. It’s very much like the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I also read this wonderful book called Manga Cultures and the Female Gaze by Kathryn Hemmann which talks about how female manga artists challenge the perceived norm of female presentation with manga.
Some other things about me: I love animated films, collecting unique stuffed animals, and traveling (but not now, of course). Tea makes up 90% of my liquid intake. I am currently in the process of editing my second book in the fantasy/adventure genre (which I hope will be published by the end of the year). I unfortunately am slightly allergic to cats, but I love seeing pictures of all y’all’s feline friends. The closet thing I have to a pet is a bat living between the screens in my back porch. His name is Mammon and he is adorable.
Two topics/questions that I am interested in learning more about this semester are:
-During the summer, the #BlackLivesMatter movement was louder than it has been for a long time. In the month of June, I observed many active “Support Black Artist/Creators/Business Owners” tags. Recently, I read a Tweet in which a Black artist blamed themselves for not jumping on the “trend” and gaining support in June because they were still trying to take in what was happening during that time. As a Caucasian, how can I and others who are privileged be best able to continuously support Black creators and other races in getting the reach they deserve in order for it not to be considered a “trend”, but a necessary and long-standing change? What is standing in the way and how do we remove this blockade on creation recognition?
-In many popular animated series like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, She-Ra and the Princess of Power, and The Legend of Korra, there has been an increase of LGBTQ+ representation presented; however, primarily between females. How can forms of North American pop culture with typically a younger demographic in mind face this lack of representation when it comes to other relationships in the LGBTQ+ community?
Thank you very much for reading through this post and I am looking forward to see what this class will offer!
Hey Teodora!
I’m really interested in your question regarding BIPOC artists and creators. There was a thread circulating on Twitter that read “It takes $0 to repost this” and a majority of the accounts belonged to non-white artists. Much of the inspiration for the artwork itself was not something you’d see hanging in the office of a Fortune 500 CEO, and unfortunately some of the comments were reflective of that. I feel like the trendiness of it is showing how picky our culture has been when it comes to appropriating the unique aspects of other cultures, while discarding the parts that aren’t aesthetically pleasing.
I can’t wait to hear more of your thoughts on this as the semester progresses!
Hi Teodora — great to have you in the class! You have such a fascinating set of interests, the majority of which (manga, East Asian pop culture, drawing) I know next to nothing about! I know we’re all going to learn so much from you this semester.
Did you see Jax’s post below? They’re interested in fan studies, and I imagine you two would have much to talk about. Also, our newest English Department faculty member, Adrienne Raw, is an expert in fan studies.
I really like the tea still life you’ve composed. I’m a big fan of capturing small, daily moments and feelings (as well as larger ideas) through objects — I think of them as non-representational selfies.
Looking forward to exploring answers to your excellent questions this semester. See you Monday!
Welcome Teodora! My kid loves manga and is currently reading the Ouran High School Host Club volumes. I think it’s fanstastic that you are writing novels! I am still in the beginning phases of my first novel and can’t wait to see what the world of publishing is like… and perhaps a bit scared too!
Hi Teodora!
I also love tea, graphic novels and anthropolgy! Have you read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi? It sounds right up your alley! My favorite Anthropolgy documentary series is Secrets of the Dead on PBS. Do you have any that you recommend?
Hi Teodora! I love hearing about your art! I am passionate drawing as well, although I found it hard to keep up with sketching once I got to college. I make time for it when I can, though. I think the “100 Days of Sketching” project sounds very challenging, but I am sure you have a lot of work to be proud of after you finished! I’m sure there were maybe some days you didn’t like drawing but forced yourself to do it anyway. I find that with my writing, even though it’s my favorite thing to do, I get really discouraged with it if I lack inspiration and tend to avoid it. Did you find that the challenge helped you be a more confident artist? Maybe I will try a challenge like that with writing! By the way, I just started watching The Last Airbender. Just like Professor Savonick said, I don’t know much about East Asian Pop Culture and Literature, but a few of my friends showed me some art from anime recently recently, and
I found it inspirational. I have also heard from my friends that the story lines in anime are often really strong. I’d love to hear about any recommendations that you have. Very nice to meet you!