This idiom isn’t terribly succinct, but it does suggest the sense of a frame — a boundary:
color inside the lines
To think or act in accordance with set rules. Likened to the way a child is encouraged to neatly color within the lines of a coloring book.
That poor girl is so rigid. I think she’s only capable of following rules and coloring inside the lines.
Conversely, we have:
color outside the lines
To think or act in a way that does not conform to set rules. Likened to the way a child might color outside the lines of a coloring book.
My coworkers don’t always understand my ideas, especially since I like to color outside the lines.
So: I’m not a color-inside-the-lines person. I like to color outside the lines.
I’m not a color-inside-the-lines person. I like to color outside the lines.