This painting is special to me because it represents letting go of the past and moving forward to become the person we were meant to be. The black swan represents our dark past. The caged heart represents what happens when we let our past take control and shape us. Our hearts can become closed off and our emotions imprisoned. The girl decides to face her past and places flowers around it. Her past should be seen as a part of her that she can learn from and grow. She realizes that her past shapes her, but SHE is the one to choose HOW it will shape her. Eventually her heart will be set free as she unifies past and present and welcomes her own future.