John Briggs has exhibited his photographs at Western Connecticut State University; University of Connecticut, Torrington; in several one-person shows at the Jasper Rand Museum, Westfield Athenaeum, and at the Samuel S.T.Chen Fine Arts Center, Central Connecticut State University.

Briggs is the author and co-author of several books on chaos theory, fractals and creativity, including Fire in the Crucible; Fractals: The Patterns of Chaos; Seven Life Lessons of Chaos; Turbulent Mirror; and The Logic of Poetry. He is also the author of Tricker Tales, a collection of stories. His fiction and articles have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies. His primary interest is the relationship of the creative arts and aesthetics to forms in nature.

Briggs holds a PhD in aesthetics and psychology. He was a Distinguished CSU Professor at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut. Prof. Briggs taught at Western for 25 years. He was a member of the English Department and a founder of the Department of Writing, Linguistics, and Creative Process, and Western's Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative and Professional Writing. He is a fellow of The Black Earth Instiute.

Briggs often uses his photographs to illustrate his books and has long been interested in the possibilities  for mingling fine art and photo illustration.

Briggs has been a student and colleague of Paul Caponigro, considered the foremost living fine art photographer. In the 1970s and 1980s Briggs worked as a photo illustrator for McGraw-Hill, and as a free-lance photographer. His fine art photos have appeared in Art fractaliste. La complexité du regard, and on the covers of books published by Fine Tooth Press.