In this episode, you’ll learn about an incredibly relevant topic: the connection between art, creativity, and climate change.
Today, host Scott “Sourdough” Power highlights the staggering impact of recent climate disasters on creative communities in Los Angeles and Asheville, North Carolina. When Hurricane Helene swept through Western North Carolina last September, it displaced hundreds of artists and flattened key creative spaces across 25 counties. As Scott explores the history of climate disaster, he also tackles the common but false belief that some places, like the Appalachian Mountains, are safe from its impacts. It’s a stark reminder that climate change doesn’t play favorites—it affects everyone, regardless of background.
Our conversation also touches on the Palisades and Eaton fires, two of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in California history. An Angeleno himself, Scott witnessed firsthand how a trifecta of fire-friendly climate conditions turned entire neighborhoods into heaps of ash and soot this past January.
While he stresses the importance of moving from passive observation to active engagement, Scott also celebrates the resilience of these communities in overcoming challenges through creativity. Ultimately, this episode emphasizes that creativity isn’t just about reflecting what’s happening around us; it’s also a powerful way to imagine and work towards a more sustainable future.
Quotes From This Episode
“A lot of people were devastated because they couldn't access communications and utilities. [Western North Carolina] was without fresh water for weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks.” — Scott “Sourdough” Power
“Many artists lost their life's work, lost studios, lost their businesses, and that's just in Asheville. If you look more broadly at the Western North Carolina region, the 23 counties there, potentially, a couple thousand artists were just completely displaced and wiped off the map.” — Scott “Sourdough” Power
“People have flocked there over the years, retirees and artists alike, to live there, thinking that maybe, just maybe, they would live in an area that would be safe from climate change.” — Scott “Sourdough” Power
“Let's be honest, climate change impacts the poorest among us, right? The rich, they can get on their yachts and their planes and sail away and fly away, but those of us left behind, of course, are left picking up the pieces.” — Scott “Sourdough” Power
“I live sort of in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Palisades fire was burning over the ridge here, and I saw the flames coming to our house and didn't know what was going to happen. We packed up and moved out, and were gone for a week and came back—and we were one of the lucky ones.” — Scott “Sourdough” Power
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode
Remote: A Video Series Exploring Public Art
About Scott ‘Sourdough’ Power
Scott “Sourdough” Power is the co-founder and creative director of LA-based arts media organization Crewest Studio, a mission-driven company dedicated to the visual and performing arts.
Scott has worked professionally in the creative arts since the age of 18. Born with big dreams in a steel town near Chicago, Scott credits his success to blue-collar, Midwestern roots. The grandson of a minister, Scott grew up on the church pew. His mother was a church choir director, and his father was a Sunday school teacher. Much to his family’s chagrin, Scott did not go to seminary like his grandfather.
As a boy, Scott was often sick with pneumonia and almost died. Spinal meningitis left him deaf in one ear. He attributes his survival to a loving family, capable doctors, and a fierce will to live. Raised in a musical family, Scott studied jazz and classical music, played alto saxophone, and won multiple competitions. As a teenager, he snuck into Chicago blues and jazz clubs to hear musical legends Miles Davis, Sun Ra, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Otis Rush perform.
In college, Scott focused on the visual communication arts, earning his B.A. in graphic design and arts management from Columbia College Chicago in 1994. In 2008, he graduated from the AIGA Executive Business Program at Yale University and earned his professional licensing certification from Licensing International in 2016. By the time he graduated from college, Scott had worked an array of odd jobs: farm hand, construction worker, fast food cook, window washer, physical and occupational therapy aide, janitor, commercial painter, office temp, graphic designer, print production manager, bike messenger, outdoor guide, illustrator, roadie, rock band manager, DJ, photographer, copywriter, ad salesman, legal clerk, and public speaker.
Over the years, Scott has held key management positions in publishing, marketing, health care, and the visual arts. He has created consumer brands, products, and content for global Fortune 500 companies and produced and curated numerous art exhibitions, events, and programs featuring world-class contemporary visual artists.
Like many creatives, Scott is a truth seeker. Driven by joie de vivre and carpe diem, Scott sees himself as a creative explorer on the road less traveled. An inductee of the venerable Explorers Club, Scott left civilization during college to seek adventure in the Alaskan wilderness. While there, he learned to cook with sourdough starter and earned the lifelong moniker “Sourdough.”
In recent years, Scott helped launch a medical NGO in Haiti and served on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Medical Assistance to Travelers (IAMAT) in Toronto, Canada, and The Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, AZ.
In 2023, he founded Arterial, Inc., a 501(c)(3) arts organization dedicated to helping artists tell their stories and promote the work to their masses.
All images published with permission of the artist(s); featured photo: David Schwartz.
