Jennifer Houston shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Jennifer, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
For a long time, I built my businesses quietly. I poured myself into creating experiences for kids, designing curriculum, building systems, and growing The Color Express and The Splat Bus from the ground up. But lately, I’ve felt a very clear nudge — actually, more like a push — to stop hiding behind the scenes and step fully into visibility.
I’m being called to tell my story.
To share the journey — the creativity, the pivots, the resilience, the wild detours, the legal battles, the miracles, the “keep going” moments.
And to let people see the woman behind the brands.
For years, I was afraid of that.
Afraid of being misunderstood.
Afraid of being judged.
Afraid of being “too much” or “not enough.”
Afraid of stepping into spaces where I didn’t see many people like me.
But now?
I feel like everything I’ve lived — the businesses I’ve built, the kids I’ve impacted, the challenges I’ve navigated, even the unbelievable drama in my HOA — has prepared me for this moment.
I’m being called to own my voice, not just my work.
To share the truth of what it looks like to build something from scratch while raising a family, reinventing yourself, trusting your intuition, and choosing purpose over fear.
To lean into media opportunities, licensing growth, publishing, and yes — even setting my sights on someday pitching The Splat Bus on Shark Tank. That dream used to intimidate me. Now it excites me.
I’m being called to stop waiting for permission.
To lead boldly.
To tell stories.
To inspire people who are standing where I once stood — with a dream in their hands and fear in their throat.
And for the first time, instead of resisting it…
I’m ready.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Jennifer Houston, the founder of The Color Express and SPLAT! by The Color Express, two creative brands that bring art, joy, and unforgettable experiences to kids and families across Tampa Bay and Orlando.
What started as me teaching art out of the trunk of my car has grown into a full-scale mobile art company with after-school programs, field trips, community partnerships, themed art camps, and our crowd-favorite Splat Bus — a glow-in-the-dark paint-splatter experience that turns every party into a memory. We now have multiple buses, thousands of young artists each year, and a mission centered on turning creativity into confidence.
What makes my work unique is that it isn’t just about art.
It’s about impact.
It’s about giving kids a place to express themselves freely, especially in a world that often rushes them, labels them, or overlooks the magic they carry. Creativity is powerful — it heals, it empowers, and it reminds kids that they can create something beautiful even when life gets messy.
Alongside my businesses, I’m also working on a completely separate passion project: a darkly humorous, drama-filled series based on my real-life HOA experiences — appropriately titled The H.O.A. Writing it has become a creative outlet that lets me turn some unbelievable real-life events into storytelling fuel. It’s part therapy, part art, part “you truly can’t make this stuff up,” and it’s something I’m excited to bring into the world.
Right now, I’m expanding our licensing program so entrepreneurs and families across the country can bring The Color Express model to their own communities. I believe art should be accessible, joyful, and everywhere — and helping others build businesses that spread creativity is the next chapter of our growth.
At the heart of everything I do is this belief:
Art impacts kids — and kids impact the world.
And I’m just getting started.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My husband.
Long before The Color Express or the Splat Bus ever existed, I remember sitting across from him on our very first date, showing him pictures of artwork I had created — not as a career, not as a business, just a dream I barely allowed myself to imagine. He looked at those photos like he was seeing the truest version of me, long before I could see her myself.
He believed in my talent without hesitation. He saw a future for me that I hadn’t yet dared to claim.
I’ll never forget finding a Craigslist post from someone selling their entire art inventory — easels, canvases, brushes, everything — for $1,500. At the time, that number felt enormous. Risky. Scary. I had been a stay-at-home mom for so long that betting on myself felt almost irresponsible.
But my husband laughed in the most loving way and said,
“Buy it, Jen. You’ll make that back in no time.”
And he was right.
That moment was the spark.
Today, I smile thinking about how terrified I was to spend $1,500… when now I place inventory orders of that size without even blinking. But back then, I needed someone to reflect my potential back to me — someone who saw the entrepreneur, the artist, and the visionary long before I did.
What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that believed I had to do everything alone.
The worker bee who taught herself every skill, handled every detail, and carried every weight because she thought relying on others was risky. That version of me got me this far — and I’m grateful for her — but she’s no longer the one who can take me where I’m going next.
I’m learning to release the mindset of “I’ll do it myself” and step into the mindset of “I don’t have to do this alone.”
Because growth requires trust, delegation, and allowing others to rise with you.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I would tell her:
“You don’t have to be so strong all the time.”
I’d tell her that the world won’t fall apart if she lets someone help her. That she doesn’t have to earn rest, or love, or safety. That the constant hustle, the people-pleasing, the survival mode she lived in — it was never a flaw. It was her adapting. Protecting herself. Doing the best she could with what she knew.
But I’d also tell her that one day she will build a life where she no longer has to carry everything alone.
She will find support.
She will create opportunities instead of scrambling for them.
She will grow into a woman who trusts her voice, her talent, and her intuition.
I’d tell her that the things she worries about won’t break her — they’ll build her.
And that one day, the very same grit she developed while trying to hold everything together will become the superpower that allows her to create businesses, write stories, raise a family, and reinvent herself again and again.
Most of all, I’d tell her this:
“You are worthy of every dream you’ll dare to chase — and you won’t have to fight so hard forever. Life gets better. YOU get better. Trust that.”
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
If you asked the people who know me best — my husband, my kids, and the small circle of people who’ve spent real time with me — they’d probably say that what matters most to me is making a positive impact on people’s lives.
They’d say I care deeply about creating moments of joy, giving kids confidence through creativity, and building something meaningful that outlives the moment.
They’d tell you I’m driven by integrity, by purpose, and by the belief that life is supposed to be colorful — even when it’s messy.
They’d also tell you that my family is my anchor, that I’m fiercely protective of them, and that everything I’ve built has been with them in mind.
And I think they’d say this, too:
I value connection over quantity.
I don’t have a huge social circle, but the people who are in my life get my whole heart.
I measure relationships by depth, not numbers.
What really matters to me is showing up, making an impact, and living a life that feels aligned with who I am — not who the world expects me to be.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say that I lived a life of purpose, color, and impact — that I used my creativity to make the world a little brighter for the people who crossed my path. I hope they remember that I cared deeply about children and believed in the power of art to build confidence, connection, and joy.
I hope my story is one of a woman who didn’t wait for permission, who followed her intuition, who kept going even when the chapters were hard, and who turned some of life’s most unbelievable challenges into something meaningful — whether through my businesses or through the stories I write.
I hope they say I built things that mattered.
That I made kids feel proud of themselves.
That I created experiences families will remember forever.
That I gave people the courage to be creative, messy, expressive, and wholly themselves.
I hope they remember me as someone who loved her family fiercely, who raised her boys with intention, who stood for integrity, and who showed them — through action, not words — that you can build a beautiful life from scratch if you lead with heart.
And maybe most of all, I hope they say this:
She took the gifts she had and used them fully.
She didn’t hold back.
She made an impact.
And because of that, the world was just a little more colorful.
Contact Info:
- Website: thecolorexpress.com and splatexpress.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecolorexpress and https://www.instagram.com/splatexpress
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecolorexpress and https://www.facebook.com/splatexpress
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jenniferhouston4711
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