We were lucky to catch up with John Haiduk recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, John thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

If I could go back, I wouldn’t change the timing of my creative career.

In 2017, at 22, I started taking art seriously during my final years at Manhattan College (now Manhattan University) while studying Mechanical Engineering. At that time, I finally had the space—both in my schedule and in my life—to explore something new. Art became my focus. I began experimenting, sharing my work on Instagram, and developing the brand that would become SKRIBBLES.

Over the next few years, I balanced my passion for art with a demanding professional life. I completed grad school, moved to Massachusetts, and navigated roles that challenged me in new ways, eventually reaching Senior Management at a startup by 25. These experiences taught me to handle difficult challenges and gave me the confidence to take bigger risks.

By 26, I joined the artist community at Western Avenue Studios, which played a pivotal role in supporting my transition to a creative career. Even with all this preparation, when I finally took the plunge in 2022 to become a full-time artist, I quickly realized how much I still had to learn. It felt like I was jumping in too soon, but in hindsight, it was perfect timing.

Starting any earlier might have meant abandoning my education or missing out on valuable experiences that built my resilience. I needed every step to understand where I was headed.

Looking back, the best choices I made were dedicating all my free time to my craft, working for free, and trying new things. Be patient, work hard, and surround yourself with the right people. Focus on what you’re creating and who you’re becoming—stay patient, and the rest will follow.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m an artist & engineer who thrives on using simple tools and techniques to create dynamic work, always searching for a true balance between chaos and order. I split my time between creative and technical problem-solving, consistently aiming to make an impact.

In my creative practice, I’m best known for pen-and-ink drawings—my scribbles—as well as paintings and live art demos. Rather than focus on specific subjects, I create dynamic abstract compositions that evoke a feeling, whether it’s awe or calm, using line work and texture. Designing new processes that allow me to scale up my work while preserving and refining the aesthetic of my original pen-and-ink drawings is what drives me today.

On the technical side, my work focuses on creating systems that streamline productivity. At Refuge Art School, I’ve developed tools that free up the team’s time to focus on growth and mentorship. These operational solutions automate routine tasks, allowing one person to achieve the output of many.

I’ve found that my technical skills and creative intuition feed off each other, and I need both to feel whole.

What sets me apart is my ability to balance simplicity and complexity in everything I do. I’ve built a reputation for using basic tools, whether in creative or technical solutions, to solve complex problems. I believe powerful results come from equipping the best people with the right tools—saving time and helping them focus on what truly matters.

Traditional methods have never appealed to me. Doing what’s already been done doesn’t excite me. I want to carve my own path, whether it’s in art or solving a problem. It’s about originality, pushing boundaries, and helping others do the same.

Success, to me, is about building a life where I’m free to work on projects that fulfill me. I want the flexibility to choose where I invest my time. I have big art projects ahead, but I also want space for other creative pursuits as well as health, fitness, and travel.

Ultimately, I want to be known as someone who’s always exploring new ways to break the mold and help others to do the same.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

As a creative, your goals should always be a moving target. We all go through seasons where you focus on certain things, but over time, you need to refine your direction based on what you’ve learned. Staying still, drifting, or crystallizing in your ways is a death sentence.

In 2017, I lacked a clear identity. My education was my only focus, and without it, I felt lost. I needed something new, and art seemed like the right path. My first goal was to embrace chaos and create beauty from it, shifting from a rigid mindset to finding order within disarray.

In 2020, my focus shifted towards the technical side. I dedicated all my time to mastering my craft—specifically, creating operational systems that allowed small teams to function with the same output as large ones. I built high-leverage workflows and automations that provided immense value to the organization I worked for. During this period, I learned how to lead and manage a team, and my professional career became my primary focus.

In 2022, I realized I wanted to be recognized for my creative work. After moving to an artist community in Lowell, I started live painting, hosting events, and building a name for myself as SKRIBBLES. I learned that success depended on reputation and networking, not just skill, so my goals shifted to supporting myself through my art.

I later left my job to become a full-time artist. That chapter taught me that money couldn’t be my primary focus. I had to stop pursuing things that didn’t align with my values and double down on what worked.

In 2023, I began using my technical skills at Refuge Art School to streamline their operations, aligning my creative and technical abilities to support something I believed in: accessible art education for underprivileged youth.

While sustaining myself through my technical skills within a creative organization, my goals have returned to the reason I started—finding my truth by understanding what I enjoy and what I don’t. Now, it’s about balancing art with my other passions and building a sustainable practice that integrates seamlessly into my life.

In 2024, I’m still working with Refuge Art School and am now represented in galleries at SOWA, Boston, having recently made my largest sale to date. As I continue to evolve as a professional artist, my goal is to do so sustainably, avoiding burnout, and ensuring my creative practice feels like a natural extension of who I am while growing in all other areas of my life.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Seven months after leaving my job to pursue a career as a full-time artist, I burned out. I had tried everything—creating prints and originals, selling at craft fairs and on Shopify, offering live painting services, hosting events, and posting content daily on social media—but I couldn’t make a sustainable income. I felt like I was playing the role of an artist but didn’t know how to make it work financially. I reached a point where I no longer wanted to create art with the same intensity and hit a personal low, unsure whether to return to a “real” job or keep struggling as an artist.

After taking a break, I found myself volunteering at Refuge Art School, located in the same building where I live, Western Avenue Studios. I had nothing else on my agenda, so I began helping with small tasks—moving their space, assisting with their first-ever fundraiser. I started taking on one-off projects, focusing on what I knew best—spreadsheets. I built systems for timesheets, bookkeeping, payroll, and more. Over time, I became a core team member, continually improving their operations while getting paid for it.

One year later, the tasks that used to take hours—or never got done—now take minutes. The systems I implemented gave the Refuge team the bandwidth to grow, refine processes, and improve marketing, allowing them to focus on growth for the first time in a decade.

This pivot was mutually beneficial. I didn’t have to give up my dream of being a full-time artist because working at Refuge kept me integrated into the arts. It helped me pay my rent while contributing to a mission I believed in, which, in turn, reignited my passion for making my own art. I served as a mentor to youth, collaborated on public art projects, and rediscovered the joy I had lost when working alone.

This shift in direction improved my practice by providing sustainability, and I felt more connected to the community I had sacrificed so much to be a part of.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.skribble.studio
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skribble.s
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skribble.s.haiduk/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-haiduk-72394180/
• Twitter: https://x.com/skribble_s

Image Credits

Andrew Dunne
Michael Som