This is what I have so far.  I decided to make the girl small to emphasize the weight of everything else and pressure pressing down.  I also wanted it to emphasize the "going out into the great big world" idea.  I'm keeping the color red consistent throughout to represent her spirit and creativity.  It gets darker and faded the more she grows.  For the writing on the wall, I made it surround her to give an enclosed, trapped feeling.  The door represents an escape, or a light at the end of the tunnel, but the books and things are sort of blocking her from getting to it. 

I still have some more stuff to do, but its getting there.