What influences and inspires you as a writer?

'Out now, into the lagoon, the boats with their gilded prows and triumphant lights. A bright ribbon, a talisman for the New Year.
I will have red roses next year. A forest of red roses.
On this rock? In this climate?
I'm telling you stories. Trust me.'
Jeanette Winterson, The Passion.

There is the question as to whether influences and inspiration are the same thing. I think most of the time they are, I will try not to separate the two too much, to save confusion.
In the past, my influences as a writer were the books I read and the authors I loved. This is still true today, however currently I am trying to focus more on my own experiences than that of others. The course I study and discussions that arise also provoke a sense of thoughtfulness in my writing.
What inspires me as a writer is a combination of my relationships with friends, family, and other significant characters in my life, recent experiences that have triggered thought or emotion, and perhaps most importantly, myself.
There is some stigma around writers who are 'unoriginal'. But what is it to be original? Our influences and inspiration makes us who we are, and makes our writing what it is. We can be different from everyone else, but what we write comes from everywhere.
I am influenced and inspired by my life, and my life is influenced and inspired; by people, places, situations, emotions, music. It makes me what I am.
I would like my writing to be all of those things.