CRITICISM

Let me explain why.

You've probably seen this scene. A barber finishes a cut, pulls out his phone, and starts recording. And then the comment shows up, in person or in the Instagram comments:

“Look at this guy, now he thinks he's an influencer.”

Or the classic:

“I'm a real barber. I don't need to be filming myself.”

Or simply:

“Why does he have to show off everything?”

I heard variations of those phrases myself for years. And to be honest with you, this book doesn't start with a camera or a new phone. It starts with your head, because that's where it's really decided whether you're going to record or not.

Criticism is almost never about the other person

I'm not the type to go around criticizing people. But I've seen many times how this works with other barbers, and honestly, I lived it too.

For months I watched others filming and judged them, thinking it was a waste of time or a way to get attention, that they were chasing fame at any cost. Until one day I wanted to do it too, and I was able to understand the value behind it.

I picked up the phone. I opened the camera. And a voice showed up, and it wasn't another barber's. It was mine, repeating everything I had said about others: what if they say about me what I used to say about them? What if they laugh? What if they think I'm a “fame seeker”?

And something happened that I've seen over and over: I ended up blocked before I posted anything. Not because I lacked a phone, or because I didn't know how to cut, or because I couldn't learn to edit. I got blocked because, without realizing it, I had built my own definition of what “filming yourself” meant, and now I was afraid of falling into exactly the category I had judged so harshly.

A cycle that repeats

Over time I understood that this works like a cycle. First you criticize. Then you freeze when it's your turn. And meanwhile, you fall behind.

You see another barber filming and think “he thinks he's famous,” a phrase that seems to point at someone else but actually sticks to you. When your moment to record comes, that same thought comes back like a ghost: what if they say about me what I used to say about others? And while you keep going around in circles, the other barber has already posted a video. And another. And another.

“While you were criticizing the one who was filming, he was building visibility.”

What you still aren't seeing

Here's something almost nobody considers: when a barber becomes known on social media, he isn't taking space away from everyone else. It can be exactly the opposite.

Someone who had never seen barbering content stumbles on a video, likes it, keeps watching. The platform understands they're interested in the topic and starts showing them more similar videos. That's where you can show up, not because that person knew you before, but because now there's someone interested in this world. Every barber who gets more people hooked on this trade is, deep down, opening the door for them to discover others too.

Change the question

If until now you've been asking yourself, why is this guy filming so much? He thinks he's famous, or an influencer! try changing it to: “what is he doing that I'm not doing yet?”

That shift, even if it seems small, changes everything. If you only see someone growing and think they're showing off, you get nothing out of it, brother! But if you pay attention to how he films, how he frames the shot, what he shows first, how he talks to the client, how he edits, how he tells the story, then you have someone to learn from, whether you like him or not.

“The competition isn't between barbers. It's between being visible or invisible.”

The first exercise isn't filming

It's more uncomfortable than that: it's examining your own ideas. Because if deep down you still think filming yourself is “a fame-seeking thing,” the day you pick up the phone you'll feel like you're doing something you yourself used to despise.

I did this exercise with myself, and it works: every time I caught myself thinking, That guy films himself instead of cutting hair! I tried to notice what was behind it. Almost always it was this: I want that too, but I don't dare. Why does he need to get famous! was hiding “I'd like to be known too.” So “that's someone who wants to be famous” was hiding: “that's someone who wants to grow,” and “I want to grow too.”

This isn't about lying to yourself. It's about noticing that what we criticize most in others is often exactly what we don't yet dare to try.

“You have to change that perception, you have to change those thoughts. Because tomorrow, when you want to do it, you're going to make it hard on yourself.”

Authentic beats perfect

You don't need to be the best barber on Instagram. You need to be you.

You can find someone who is technically extraordinary and still not connect with him. And you can see another guy who simply shows his work, talks the way he normally talks in everyday life, treats his clients well, and he probably connects far more with viewers, because they don't follow haircuts alone. They follow people.

So when you start creating content, don't try right away to be “the best.” Try to become recognizable. Let someone watch your video and think “oh, I know who this is,” someday I'd like to get a cut from him. That's already worth a lot.

People don't connect only with haircuts. They connect with authentic people!

A new way of looking at other barbers

From now on, every time you see a barber filming, you have two options.

You can think: “Look at this guy, he thinks he's an influencer.”

Or you can think: “What can I learn from him?”

The first option leaves you exactly where you are. The second opens up a possibility.

And that possibility doesn't mean copying.

It means observing. Taking what makes sense. Adapting it to your personality. And building your own way of doing it.

Because none of this means thinking you're better than everyone else.

“It means understanding that your biggest competition is often not out there. It's inside your head.”

The first change

Before you post your first video, change this:

From: What are people going to say?
To: What can I build?

From: He thinks he's an influencer.
To: What can I learn?

From: I don't need to film myself.
To: I'm going to record.

From: I need to be perfect.
To: I need to start.