The person who explains their process gives you more than the result to imitate.

A finished result can only be copied. A process can be used, adjusted, and carried to problems the person who taught it never saw. When someone shows you the middle of their work, including the false starts and the order they did things in, they hand you something that keeps working long after that particular example stops being relevant.

Ask for the middle. When someone shows you a good outcome, ask what they tried first and what they would skip next time. And when you are the one being asked, describe the path rather than the polished end of it.