2020 was, for many of us, the worst year in memory. We lost friends and loved ones. We were separated from family and frightened to leave our homes.  Our sense of spirit and adventure was taken from us – replaced by anxiety and fear.2021 should be a year of awakening and celebration in the road travel community. It should be a year to get outside and pursue passions that we had to put on hold.

Veteran marine, Jessica Rambo, takes us a tour of her beautiful Skoolie (School Bus Conversion Home). She shares the space with her two children, and also operates the bus as a non-profit art studio for veterans. Jessica believes that buslife and art have helped her mentally slow down and re-enter life after service. She hopes to help others do the same.

Unfortunately, The Bus Fair 2020 had to be postponed until June 2021.

Fortunately, we are still able come together as a community, digitally!

30 unique Skoolies were chosen to be Featured Exhibitors at The Bus Fair. Since you are unable to meet and view the buses in person - we're bringing a handful of them right to you!

Contributing Writers Elizabeth with LittleHouseOnTheHwy and Patrick with SkoolieLove have been working on these interviews the past few weeks. Get ready!

We are here to bring you personal interviews about these bus homes and the folks behind the buses.

Let us introduce to you the first interview from our 'TheBusFair Features' Series, The Painted Buffalo Traveling Studio.

Hey! I'm Jessica Rambo, I live aboard The Painted Buffalo Traveling Studio with my family. I'm a Marine Corps Veteran, A Mom of 2, an Artist, and a DIY bus builder. My family and I built our rig in North Carolina from July 2018 - August 2019, and moved in right away. We have been full-time bus lifers for 9 months and are about to hit the road with a full bus, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and a cat. They are in for the adventure of a lifetime.

Veteran's Traveling Art Studio Bus, So Inspiring!! | 50 in 50 Ep.4 Idaho, Wyoming & South Dakota

Have you ever thought about a project or move (both figuratively & literally) or a to do list item that just makes you sweat to think about? We get it, really. The thing is though, it sticks around until it is tackled. This week’s guest may have just the right story to spark the flame to get you started. Jessica Rambo (yes, her last name says it all ;-)) is a former Marine having served in active duty for 10 years, momma of two awesome kids, artist, business owner and as of most recently can add bus conversion guru to her already admirable list of accomplishments and mountains she has worked to climb & conquer. Jessica’s interview with The Red Bra Project is packed with energy, inspiration and every bit of motivation you may be needing to conquer your own mountain(s)! In our opinion, Jessica is truly a powerhouse, learning along the way and empowering others.

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A commitment to service doesn’t end with a retirement or a graduation, but goes on for a lifetime. The veterans of UNC Greensboro embody this commitment in their dedication to the community and to each other. Meet the Spartan veterans who are finding their way at UNCG and the veteran alumni who have found their way back.

Marine Corp Veteran Jessica Rambo shares with us how her passion for art helped her healing and provided her with a new sense of purpose; helping fellow veterans express themselves through art. She is currently in the process of a converting a blue bird bus into a art studio (Skoolie) so she can provide art lessons to other veterans within the community and eventually nationwide.  

Dave and special guest Jessica talk about finding happiness on the road, water heater fire chaos, and seeing the bison in Yellowstone!

Jessica Rambo, a Marine Corps veteran, is pursuing her dream of traveling with her herd and providing art to the veteran community. Rambo uses her ten years of service in the Marine Corps to inspire her work and her passion to continue to serve. She has traveled the globe in search of adventures that capture the essence of hardworking service members and a diverse range of cultures and is now ready to take her family along for the ride… Driven by the passionate belief that every veteran deserves a safe space for families to come together and bond, Rambo and her family have collectively created Painted Buffalo Studio to bring art to the veteran community.

For me the journey into this lifestyle goes back about 15 years, the Marine Corps. In 2006 I joined the Marines at 20 years old. I had done a few semesters in community college, mostly visual art classes just to appease my military mother. “Start by going to college first and see how you like it. Don’t join the military,” my Mother would say. But I just couldn’t stand the monotony of school any longer. After a couple of semesters I walked into a recruiters office and enlisted on the spot. A few months later I was standing on yellow foot prints, and there was no turning back.

Have you ever thought about a project or move (both figuratively & literally) or a to do list item that just makes you sweat to think about? We get it, really. The thing is though, it sticks around until it is tackled. This week’s guest may have just the right story to spark the flame to get you started. Jessica Rambo (yes, her last name says it all ;-)) is a former Marine having served in active duty for 10 years, momma of two awesome kids, artist, business owner and as of most recently can add bus conversion guru to her already admirable list of accomplishments and mountains she has worked to climb & conquer. Jessica’s interview with The Red Bra Project is packed with energy, inspiration and every bit of motivation you may be needing to conquer your own mountain(s)! In our opinion, Jessica is truly a powerhouse, learning along the way and empowering others.

Meet Jessica Rambo, a Marine veteran who is helping other veterans with her traveling art studio (that doubles as her home!).

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She and her two children live on the bus together, along with her cat and dog! It’s an amazing work-in-progress that she has built herself. We got to do a Q&A with her about the studio and #buslife, so be sure to read it at the end of the post!

In this episode we welcome Jessica Rambo to the show. Jessica is a Marine veteran, an artist and a mother who has recently transitioned into living in a school bus she renovated. In addition to her unique lifestyle, Jessica has started a charitable effort called the Paint Can Project, where she gathers art supplies from donors and distributed them to deserving veterans in 50 cal ammo cans. For more info about Jess and the Paint Can Project.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Marines are supposed to be tough. Jessica Rambo's uncle Tommy always was.

And so was Rambo – tough enough to be a Marine herself. Ten years, active duty, and with the name Rambo, she had to be tough.

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But a sexual assault while she was in the Corps combined by a car crash that almost killed her led to long-term problems.

Have you ever thought about a project or move (both figuratively & literally) or a to do list item that just makes you sweat to think about? We get it, really. The thing is though, it sticks around until it is tackled. This week’s guest may have just the right story to spark the flame to get you started. Jessica Rambo (yes, her last name says it all ;-)) is a former Marine having served in active duty for 10 years, momma of two awesome kids, artist, business owner and as of most recently can add bus conversion guru to her already admirable list of accomplishments and mountains she has worked to climb & conquer. Jessica’s interview with The Red Bra Project is packed with energy, inspiration and every bit of motivation you may be needing to conquer your own mountain(s)! In our opinion, Jessica is truly a powerhouse, learning along the way and empowering others.

Jessica Rambo is a Marine, having served 10 years in the USMC as a Combat Cameraman. She’d been around the military long before she enlisted in 2006, though – her mother spent 6 years in the Navy and an additional 14 years in the Coast Guard. She is enrolled as an art education and sculpting major at UNC’s prestigious program and serves as the president of the UNCG Student Veterans Association. With whatever free time she has, she works on converting an old school bus into a traveling art studio to provide art classes to fellow veterans. This mother of 2 also has a superhero sidekick: her service dog, Bella, a black lab who was Jessica’s pet before she was a service dog.

Jessica Rambo, a United States Marine Corps veteran, is pursuing her dream of attending art school. A student at the University of North Carolina – Greensboro, Rambo uses her ten years of service in the Marine Corps to inspire her work. She has traveled the globe in search of adventures that capture the essence of hardworking service members and a diverse range of cultures. Driven by the passionate belief that every person deserves a voice, Rambo takes care to craft her stories and designs of even the easy to ignore.

“My military career has molded me in the most unexpected but positive ways,” said Rambo. “Traveling the world has opened my eyes to the struggles and beautiful of other cultures but also solidify the pride I feel for my country.”

UNC Greensboro creates remarkable real-world impact, every day. Find your way here. Learn more: brandstories.uncg.edu