IF - Contained

It's been a while since I had the time to focus on an Illustration Friday prompt. So here is this week's for "contained". I began this two page spread in a small collaborative journal by listing words that I associated with the word "contained". Immediately a boxed in image of a figure popped into my mind. As I worked on this piece, I allowed my mind to reflect on the notion of feeling boxed in and struggling to be free of that.
We box ourselves in. We are boxed in by other people. We build walls and are relegated to roles and identities that may or may not be true to our true identities. We struggle to break down these walls and to break free from these roles and boxes. But we can become inconvenient for other people in our lives as we break out of their definitions of who we are. Contained and not allowed to grow, to evolve, or to flourish. Strange notions, but ever so common in our lives. How do we break free from our boxes? How do we grow, yet keep those important people in our lives? How do we become more of who we are without alienating those that love and care about us?

It's a struggle.