So I saw a video from a wolf conservation center a few months back where a wolf was making an identical pose to the one in the painting.
I felt very inclined to draw what I saw but with almost a free form approach where I sort of just painted on one layer and choosing colors as I went.
The piece in my eyes fell right into place and has changed the way I paint digitally. This one piece will forever leave its mark on everything I do and restore faith in my abilities as an artist.