Photo bySteven LibralononUnsplash

Once upon a time, in the grand state of New Jersey, famously known as the Garden State, lived a group of imaginative, cheerful, and smart children, known as the "Mud Makers" because of their remarkable ability to create spectacular ceramics. Deep in the heart of this vibrant state, with its lush green parks, sandy beaches, and rainbow-hued boardwalks, these young ceramics connoisseurs gathered every day, making magic out of mud. Their leader was an enchantingly eccentric character named Muddy McCrafty, technically a retired circus elephant with a brilliant blue hat and a knack for all things pottery. Although he was an elephant, he had the most delicate of touches, swirling and shaping the clay effortlessly, bringing the mute mud to life. He was funny, too! He'd tell the most outrageous stories, painting pictures with his words, as the children laughed and sketched with their fingers in the clay. NJ was their playground, and ceramics their joy. These kids, as different as the countless ceramic creations they crafted, found a common bond in their love for pottery. They created mugs with funny faces, plates with the Jersey Shore imprinted on them, and vases shaped like Trenton's famous Battle Monument. Each one of them was unique, just like the beautiful state they called home. Every day, under the watchful eye of Muddy McCrafty, these kids would sculpt, giggle, and create, turning lumps of clay into beautiful works of art. They crafted, they laughed, they learned, their creations and their friendships as diverse and colorful as the state of New Jersey itself.