And I believe that the best learning process of any kind of craft

In the words of Wole Soyinka, the wise poet and prophet of the modern age, lies a truth as old as the first dawn of learning: “And I believe that the best learning process of any kind of craft is just to look at the work of others.” This saying shines with the light of humility and wisdom. It teaches us that all mastery is born from observation, from reverent attention to the craft of others, and from the deep recognition that no art—be it the shaping of stone, the weaving of words, or the forging of steel—is born in isolation. The student who learns to see truly, learns to create truly. For the eyes, when guided by curiosity and respect, are the first teachers of the soul.

In the days of the ancients, apprentices would sit at the feet of masters, not to speak, but to watch. The blacksmith’s pupil studied how sparks leapt from iron under hammer’s kiss; the young scribe observed how each letter flowed like water from the elder’s hand. They understood that wisdom cannot be seized—it must be absorbed, like the sun into the morning sea. Wole Soyinka’s words awaken that same eternal discipline: to observe deeply, to learn through seeing, and to allow the spirit of another’s craft to stir one’s own dormant genius.

Consider the tale of the great painter Leonardo da Vinci, who as a boy in Florence served his apprenticeship in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio. There, Leonardo did not begin by painting grand visions of his own. He mixed pigments, cleaned brushes, and watched. He studied every gesture, every stroke, every play of light upon canvas. In time, his eyes became instruments sharper than any tool. He learned the hidden language of proportion and shadow by looking—by drinking in the mastery of another until it became part of his own blood. When at last he painted the angel in Verrocchio’s “Baptism of Christ,” it was said the master laid down his brush, knowing the student had surpassed him. Such is the power of learning from others.

But this way of learning requires not just eyes, but humility. Many today rush to create, to proclaim their originality before they have learned the foundation of beauty. Yet the ancients taught that true creation is born not from pride, but from reverence. To look upon the work of others is to kneel before the temple of human skill—to admit that the flame of art does not belong to one hand, but is passed from generation to generation. As the river takes shape from many streams, so too does the spirit of any craft grow from the labors of countless souls before us.

Wole Soyinka, a man of many voices and vast imagination, speaks not only of art, but of life itself. For life is a craft, and wisdom its highest art. The best way to learn to live well is to observe the lives of others—the mistakes of the proud, the endurance of the humble, the courage of the just. The wise learn from example, from story, from the subtle instruction hidden in another’s triumphs and sorrows. The fool alone believes he must suffer all wounds himself before understanding their pain. The wise, by looking and listening, are spared many needless scars.

Think also of Soyinka’s own path: a playwright and poet who drew upon the myths and voices of his people, who studied both the old traditions and the works of distant lands. He did not scorn the wisdom of others—he absorbed it, wove it into his own vision, and gave it new life. Thus, through the eyes of a student, he became a master; through the looking, he became the one worth looking upon.

And so, O seeker of mastery, remember this truth: Look before you create. Observe before you speak. Study before you build. Do not fear to walk in the shadows of greatness, for that is where the eyes learn to see the light. Find the teachers in every form—books, art, music, the quiet work of hands. Let your gaze be long and your patience deep, for the path to excellence is not speed, but attention.

In the end, the greatest artists, thinkers, and dreamers are not those who reject the influence of others, but those who transform what they have seen into something new. They are mirrors that do not merely reflect but refine. So open your eyes, learner of the world—look well, and in the looking, begin to create.