We all have life goals. At age 10, Ela wanted to be a sound effects artist, a painter, and in the NBA. At 32, as a celebrated slam poet and youth coordinator, Ela still feels very close to those goals.

Ela has been a spoken word poet for the past 10 years, representing Seattle in national competitions around the country. “I walked into a poetry slam and never wanted to leave.” In addition to being an artist, Ela is the Youth Arts Coordinator at Gay City Health Project. “My favorite thing about my job(s) is that I get to create art every single day and I meet a whole bunch of really great people,” Ela said.

As someone who works in the public arts space and as an Uber driver-partner, Ela has some important lessons to pass along, “Never read the comment section, always look twice before changing lanes, and call your mom on holidays.”

Being an artist means Ela needs a job with flexible hours. Additionally, Ela was attracted to Uber because it seemed like fun. Ela’s favorite thing about driving? “The passengers I meet and where they’re going and why. There’s always an interesting story to hear.”

See Ela featured this month in Seattle Met magazine’s Face of Seattle series.