The Essential List: Justin 'Scrappers' Morrison
“Folk art sculpture found on PNW roadside of the way I see myself.”
When Justin 'Scrappers' Morrison first started at Portland agency North, he requested the job title of 'creative worker'. This title apparently allows him to work as a copywriter, art director, illustrator, video editor, handyman, producer, and general creative problem solver. And with over 15 years experience in advertising, magazine publishing and art-making, Scrappers brings a hefty, diverse creative toolbox to the office.
When he's not scrapping away at North, there's a high chance you'll find him somewhere outside, enjoying the dues that America's Pacific North West has to offer. He even has his own magazine, celebrating life in the wild outdoors, and his personal blog is entitled Human Pocket Knife.
As you'd expect from a multi-pronged being such as Scrappers, his Essential List is a real goodie. Enjoy!
Lifestyle
o Place of birth: Vancouver Island, B.C.
o Hometown: Portland, Oregon.
o Staycation: My Bathtub.
o Vacation: The Bathtub at the Captain Whidbey.
o Pet: Friendo, the neighbourhood raccoon. I feed him cat food.
o Place of work: North.
o Place of workout: North. I’ve done yoga here with my office mates.
o Side project: Stay Wild magazine.
o Mode of transport: Old rattletrap Peugeot bicycle.
o Bonus travel essential: My hairy son Camper and hairier fiance, Sera.
“I am hairier on the inside. I have a hairy heart.”
Culture
o Artist: Nature.
o Musician: Birds.
o Commercials / music video director: Corey Adams.
o Film director: Spike Jonze.
o Photographer: My Wifish Lady Friend, Sera Lindsey.
“Sometimes I take crumby photos of her doing magical acts.”
o Film: Mothra.
o Series: Bigfoot and Wildboy.
o Commercial: Keep the Dreamer Alive, Gregory Backpacks (we made it at North).
o Music video: Seventeen Evergreen.
o Video game: Uncharted: The Last Legacy.
o Board game: Any puzzle that’s missing a couple pieces.
o Book: Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl.
o Graphic novel: Hawkeye by Matt Fraction & David Aja.
o Podcast: Diplo and Friends on the BBC.
o Newspaper (off or online): Vice.
o Magazine: Colors.
o Bonus culture essential: The City Park. Have you gone there lately? It’s like the last frontier of commercial-free non-curated experiences. Commercial free zones are essential for pure culture to grow.
Food and Drink
o Breakfast: Pie, if I can get it.
o Restaurant: “What’s local on the menu?” - Me, trying to be a responsible consumer.
o Cheap bite: The big bag of granola in my desk’s file cabinet.
o Working lunch: Same as above.
o Favourite dish: Same as below.
o Signature dish: A fish I caught, cleaned, and cooked with wild-foraged huckleberries.
o Snack: My fingernails while hunching over a computer.
o Guilty pleasure: Pretending to be confident.
o Bar: I’ve been kicked out of them all.
o Booze: Unfiltered Sake.
o Not booze: Yes! This is where I’m at now. It’s way better without booze. It’s like an act of rebellion to not drink in this industry.
o Bonus food: $25 monthly donations to three different homeless shelters downtown.
o Bonus beverage: Enough water to swim in.
“I live in the PNW because all the water is fresh and it refreshes me.”
Kit
o Phone: My Leash! My Whip! My Lover! My Obsession!
o Computer: Calm Pooter?
o TV: The kind with a VHS player built into it.
o Headphones: Yes. My head is full of phones.
o Camera: Canon T50 and a medium format Mamiya.
o Soundsystem: Some hands clapping and feet stomping a beat.
o Pen / pencil: Three pens in my pocket at all times: Le Pen felt tip, Stabilo ballpoint (0.5 fine), and a fat Sharpie.
o Where you document an idea: Public bathroom walls.
o Casual clothing: Moonlit salt water.
o Smart clothing: Hot spring mud.
o Footwear: Some butts. Sorry mum. They say I kick ass.
o Watch: I will.
o Collection: My son’s baby teeth.
o App: Weaning myself from an Instagram addition.
o Website: Google Docs.
o Favourite social media feed: Old School Moms.
o Work program: I don’t think I have one of those? I’m just making it up as I go.
o Digital work tool: https://open.spotify.com/track/40WXqoyOLAAugGmJWZU1FY?si=C8rrSXqoRpO_4EvH0NtY7w
o Analogue work tool: Someone to goof around with. Someone like you?
o Morning grooming / makeup essential: Fresh flowers to rub all over my face, fangs, and hairy chest.
o Bonus kit essential: A vanload of dogs that are wet and sandy from playing at the beach all day long.
“I’m OK.”
