Speaking of: Brian Wilson's Humility

There are a handful of YouTube videos I rewatch every few months because they capture a moment so fascinating that it gets eternally stuck in my psyche. One of these videos is a clip from a niche British TV series called "The Rhythm of Life" where legendary Beatles producer George Martin interviews a bunch of famous musicians about their craft. In this particular clip, George is in the studio with Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson breaking down the arrangement of The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows," a piece of art that is not only Brian Wilson's greatest songwriting achievement but one of the consensus greatest songs of all time. The pair have cracked out the master tapes and George Martin is sitting at the mixing desk, fiddling with the faders as he asks Brian about the French horn melody and how he recorded the lead vocal and how he was able to write such an intricate arrangement.

There are a few moments of silence as Brian listens back to the track and George puts the last few faders into place, and then all of a sudden Brian shoots up in his chair, a spark of revelation in his eyes. With an expert's conviction, he says to George, "You know what, that's a better mix than I had as the master!" He laughs in amazement, shouting, "You did it! I don't know. It's something about the way you balanced that makes better music...George, I can't believe this is happening."

That's the level of humility I'm aiming to have. That's my gold standard. I want to be able to take my life's crowning achievement, completely surrender it to someone else, and be able to compliment them when they improve upon it even further. I want to be able to take my own inflated self-image out of the situation and eagerly pursue whatever will make the best music because in the end, that's all that matters.

I want to make sure the art always comes before my ego.