Amber Field Notes
Issue #1 | Published bi-weekly unless it's not
My Substack has been evolving since it launched last year on December 1 with a post about a $5 family heirloom. It was 2024 but it feels like a decade ago.
It’s crazy to think about everything that’s happened the last three months. I wouldn’t say it’s time to panic, but life right now is no picnic either. We’re on the verge of another bubble bursting wide open, somewhere, in a world that looks quite different than when my parents bought that plastic tree ornament in the 1960s. Those decades were tough too, and while technology has allowed everyone to go, go go, we all just need a collective sigh of relief.
This writing project is transforming into something I get to do rather than what I have to do. (shout-out to my 48 subscribers). I’ve learned a lot about the process, even after three decades in the media industry. This hobby is turning into a profession, and I dig it.
Heck, you can even listen to my posts on the Substack app, or watch one of the videos (including my upcoming film). In between sending these emails, I’ll be taking notes here and there, so feel free to add a bookmark or leave a comment if you do that sort of thing.
Even in the age of rapid automation and endless algorithms, I get tunnel vision when I’m writing. I even posted a job on LinkedIn last week. But if you’d like to contribute in any way, let me know. The pay sucks, but I’ll gladly give you a penny for your thoughts, as long as I can publish them.
And with that long wind-up, the delivery of the inaugural Field Notes …
BRIDGES
The yawning gap between framework development and practical application reminds me of coaching transitions, moving from perfect drills in practice to the messy but fast-paced reality of game flow. This is where real growth happens.
For CW Strategies (aka The CW Standard, aka my grandpa’s initials), we're entering a measured implementation phase now. We've built the foundational elements. Now comes the real work of helping teams cross the bridge to practical application.
Over the next 60 days, we're focusing on five core areas:
Documentation That Works: Converting principles into guides people can actually use. Not theoretical manifestos, but practical playbooks that create immediate value.
Pattern Recognition Tools: Creating simple methods for organizations to identify recurring challenges across departments. Like helping basketball players see how defensive patterns in football apply to their game.
Implementation Community: Because frameworks gain power through collective application, shared wisdom emerges from lived experience, not just isolated deployment.
Case Studies: Show and tell from 30 years of media industry know-how and decades of banner-hanging sports seasons. I’m particularly excited about the AI research and visual innovation. Get your popcorn ready.
Strategic Partnerships: Finding the teams whose strengths complement our own — creating exponential rather than additive value through collaboration.
What I'm learning is that the bridge itself must be flexible enough to accommodate different organizational terrains while strong enough to support real transformation. The architecture matters, but so does the material selection and construction method. If I close my eyes, I can see it. A beacon in the Flint Hills of Kansas with CW’s initials on it.
DISPATCHES
From my home base in Woodbury, Minnesota, I've been preparing for another road trip to Kansas, continuing down the I-35 Corridor to Oklahoma, with a few detours of familiar stomping grounds. Enid will be HQ for stargazing.
The film project continues to evolve in interesting ways. What began as an ambitious 10-sequence visual narrative has been distilled to its essential elements — a 5-part baseball metaphor exploring the relationship between natural illumination (fireflies) and electrical systems. Sometimes constraints lead to clearer vision. And more coffee.
Standard Correspondence represents foundational steps in building CW Strategies into something our grandpa Claude would recognize by his initials: CWS. There's something meaningful about connecting digital innovation to family legacy — creating bridges not just between concepts, but between generations. Look for more from “Finding Claude” soon.
Meanwhile, the FloState app has a new visual identity taking shape. The latest addition: a particle flow animation that creates pathways like pebbles moving through a river — a perfect visual metaphor for how small, consistent actions create powerful momentum.
RESOURCES
Reading: Mode Mobile's approach to the attention economy has captured mine. After making an investment in November 2024, I've been following their pioneering work in monetizing screen time as a new asset class. What fascinates me is how they're creating another kind of bridge — connecting everyday digital behavior with economic value. It's a pattern that parallels our framework development: Identifying underutilized resources and creating structured systems to unlock their potential.
Watching: This documentary about the Los Angeles Times' Olympic printing plant was really well done. For nearly seven years, I sent broadsheet designs directly to this facility. The voices of front-line workers — men and women who swam in ink like Michael Phelps cuts through water — tell a story about dedication to craft that transcends technological change. While I believe in digital-first approaches, this film reminds us that print isn't facing extinction but evolution.
Listening: Cancelled our family Spotify account, so I’m resorting to iHeart radio and a collection of archived music from the old iTunes days. It’s subscription eliminating season (sorry Netflix), March Madness, and Spring Training all rolled into a soggy mess called Minnesota’s second winter. I spent a little time reconnecting with T-95 out of Wichita, but turns out I am indeed too old for that shit. I’m hearing from my sources that we must also stand with Canada. Say less, fam. We got you.
Implementing: “Elbows up.” A reference to Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, but recently mouthed by Mike Myers on SNL in reference to Canada becoming our 51st state, which is crazy talk indeed.
PATTERNS
When the marketing team, engineering group, and leadership use entirely different terms to describe the same challenges, valuable insights get lost in translation. This pattern appears consistently whether we're talking about newsrooms, basketball teams, or corporate environments.
At the heart of The CW Standard is addressing this exact problem: creating a shared communication framework that allows diverse expertise to flow freely between domains. It's not about forcing everyone to speak the same specialized jargon, but establishing simple translation protocols.
The question worth asking: Where in your organization do valuable insights get lost because different teams lack a common translation framework?
ENDNOTE
Keep finding the patterns that matter.
Bet on yourself. Bet on each other.
— Derek
P.S. This newsletter continues to evolve with each issue — I'm curious to see where it leads us next. Your feedback shapes the journey.