Creating an Alien Planet From Life Experience

In thinking about the world of Avatar (minor spoiler ahead) I was considering the things that affected me the most. One of them was the graphic design of the planet Pandora at night. I loved the whole idea of a bioluminescent forest. I was brought to a place I'd never seen before. This led me to thinking how we as writers bring people to places they've never experienced.

I think the simple equation would be
LIFE EXPERIENCE + IMAGINATION = ORIGINALITY
Most aspiring filmmakers probably know that ever since Titanic (and maybe before) James Cameron has had a love affair with the ocean, specifically the deep sea. He's taken many submersibles down to the darkest depths, where bioluminescent creatures abound. It's easy to imagine the entire place and its denizens as existing on a totally different planet.

Cameron had the life experience of seeing that world first hand, and being deeply affected by it. In turn, he's taken that experience, applied his imagination and created a world faintly reminiscent of ours, yet uniquely his own. He's passionate about that world and it shows in his meticulous detail.

This all serves to make Cameron's fantasy world believable to viewers. As writers, I'd say that's a primary technique we must master. Do you practice marrying your life experiences with your imagination?