My first pottery of 2025 is officially out of the kiln, and this kiln reveal is a mix of excitement and a little chaos. I’m sharing what came out of this load (including some new cats and a few delightful little “derps”), plus the behind-the-scenes reality of running a tiny cozy backyard studio when equipment decides to misbehave. This was one of those firings where you’re celebrating fresh work… while also realizing something is about to become a problem. While this load was cooling, my kiln’s thermocouple (the part that tracks the temperature) went bad, so I had to order a replacement. Since I’m prepping for the Rail Yards Valentine’s Market on Feb 8–9, I couldn’t just pause everything—so I rented a kiln at New Mexico Clay to keep my next firings on schedule. If you’re a potter getting ready for a market, this video is a good reminder to build in a little buffer time, have a backup plan, and keep making anyway.