The Man in the Box

24×30 acrylic on canvas gallery wrap.

This painting’s story:
We are all faced with a dilemma. At some point, usually early in our childhoods, its suggested our true self is not enough or is somehow flawed. Many at that point, reject their authentic self and begin to ignore it. Like putting it in a box never to be looked at again. We tell ourselves, if we can’t be loved, we must be liked, and we begin to try and fit into the poorly defined boxes others draw out for us. We anxiously try to become whatever others need us to be in order to be accepted, hoping it will make us feel worthy and loved. All the while, the real felt part of us is essentially forgotten, ignored, and lost. “The man in the box disappears”