My Art Teacher Thinks I'm a Copycat

So here's the thing, everyone at school thinks I'm super creative and original. But the truth is, every single piece of art I make is inspired by something else. It could be another artist’s work, a movie scene, or even a random photograph online. My latest painting was actually a tribute to my favorite comic book character in a really obscure issue no one would recognize. I’m not sure if this makes me less of an artist. But here’s the kicker, I love it so much! It's like putting on someone else’s voice for Halloween, but instead of just once a year, it’s all the time. Am I just copying and pasting inspiration, or is that still creating something new? What do you guys think?