From the moment I stepped off the plane, I was in an alien space. Culture shock abounded; I was never able to find my footing socially. Joe thought that I would make a wonderful addition to his volunteer teaching staff of three because I was a Black American, and the kids would be inspired by me. I set out to guide these kids to a brighter future through education, but nobody admired me. To all the natives, I was simply a sellout Haitian who had spent some time in America, learned English, and now was too uppity to acknowledge my Haitian roots. “I’m not Haitian,” I’d argue. Frustration would dim the light in their eyes. It was like trying to convince people at a dinner party that you are Jesus Christ. It ain’t happening. However, the amount of self-reflection was invaluable. Let me add that Joe pursuaded me to commit to a month, but he bought me a one-way ticket and left me there for six months. A few months after I returned to the States. I am now 25 and Joe approaches me again. “Cooper, come to Paris and paint my flat. I will give you $1,000, but you have to commit to traveling around Europe by yourself for a month.” I declined. That sounded Awful. “Who would do something like that” I thought. I finally acquiesced to the trip, at the behest of many friends. More growth occurred. – unavoidable, as I fell on hard times and ended up homeless for two weeks. I slept in the courtyard of Notre Dame, eating off the plates of people who would leave food on the tables in restaurants. I never panicked though. I discovered a bookstore called Shakespeare and Company and devoured books. My relationships with Oscar Wilde, Dumas, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky ran rich and soothing and lent some emotional context to my journey as I explored over 20 countries during the course of 6 months.
When I returned back home this time, I landed a recurring role on Days of Our Lives, some months later a motorcycle accident cut that career short. I reinvented myself as a writer/Director and went on to produce 15 short films while collecting numerous awards. While it seemed I was on the cusp of transitioning to producing a feature film, Harley, Joe’s son and my Cohen And Tate c0-star approached me and asked it I would be willing to abandon all my artistic dreams for six months to help him get a start-up, off the ground? Our plan then became, Trademark the name Hint Mint and then sell the Trademark in order to fund our artistic endeavors. I signed on, enthusiastically.
On the night of my first daughter’s home birth, I got a call from a childhood friend whom I had not spoken to since high school. We had mostly a one-sided conversation, as she replayed her Dostoevsky-like life to me. The spousal abuse, the illness, and suicide attempts overwhelmed me. I was so caught up I said, “Lori, you should have married me. I would have taken better care of you.” Deep awkwardness ensued, bathed in silence. After many moments, she said, “Damn you, Cooper. You know I don’t believe in Blacks and Whites mixing. Never have, never will. How dare you say something like that to me.” Yeah, I was caught flat-footed. Floored! After hanging up the phone, I began writing down our conversation. There was something so validating in that conversation, and it was not until I had written 40 pages over several continuous hours that I realized the discrimination I had overcome. I continue writing, sculpting, Sixteen years later, when we sold Hint Mint, I took a solo “masterclass” workshop and created an award-winning solo show called Black When I Was A Boy. I followed up that show with another award-winning solo show depicting the relationship follies with my father called The Son of A Man.
I am currently developing a show on commission for the Cyrano Theatre in Alaska called Life, Liberty, Happiness, 2.0, which deconstructs race relations in America, via a game show format.
Going back to my childhood, the one thing I have always loved to do was have interesting conversations. The fact that I showed a deep interest in all humans around me leveled the playing field for me when I was trying to find my place in the world. I was no longer the black kid, I was the kid who asked interesting questions. I’ve never let go of that craving, and thus, a few months ago, I launched a social game company. My first offering is a deck of cards – 60 questions, countless discoveries, and endless connections called I Think Therefore I Question.
Both my parents had to quit school before graduating. My dad dropped out of middle school to help with the farm, and my mother dropped because of me. In all honestly, I think they both resented me a little. I don’t blame them. Eventually I did, however, end up attending college on a wrestling scholarship. A fellow competitor from the next town over just happened to drop in and pick me up on the way to visit the campus. Coach offered me a scholarship on the spot. I took it. In short, I never had a mentor. Not entirely unusual. A lot of people don’t. I just feel that had I not met Joe and Harley Cross, I would have been lost. I would not have been prone to antisocial behavior, but my life would have been an expression of simply existing. I was astounded by a quote I read of Oscar Wilde’s. “It’s very hard to live, most people exist, that is all.”
Additionally, our mints were made without adding gelatin or any other animal byproducts. We wanted to redefine the perception of mints, elevating them beyond mere breath aids to elegant accessories. In short, we wanted each potential customer to be moved when they reached for a tin of Hint Mints. We fashioned a subtly curved, 1920’s style cigarette tin, adorned with art nouveau/deco design, each holding 35 smooth signature leaf-imprinted tablets. In 1998, the idea was born. In 1999, we launched, and in April 2000, we sold our first order of $750. Within ten months, sales were over a million. Hint Mint expanded internationally to over 54 countries, quickly becoming the most coveted breath mint around the world. Hint Mint had created the “Original Designer Mint,” changing the market forever. Hint Mint never stops breaking new ground, whether through the Awareness Series, which donated 100% of its profits to charity, or with the Limited Edition Artist Series, featuring a new, accomplished artist that we admired annually, contemporary greats like: Shag, Gary Baseman, James Jean, Audrey Kawasaki, Owen Smith and many others. With every new line of mints and every new flavor, Hint Mint continues to expand and redefine the possibilities of the intersection between art and confections. We sold Hint Mint in 2016 / 2017. I’m proud of the fact that despite being completely and utterly unqualified to start a business, we were able to figure out how to create something from scratch that millions of people would resonate with. I remember initially, during those initial months of sourcing, I was forced to see past those who said I could not do what we were trying to do. I had to break new ground with each stage of the process. I had no business education, network, or experience. It was all passion.
I am also proud of the family my wife and I created. I’m dazzled by my family. We have two college-age daughters. It was nothing for us to pick up and move to Mexico for a couple of years to educate our girls in Spanish. When they were in elementary school. We lived out of a van for a few months during the time we drove around Mexico, meeting people while explored what city or hamlet spoke to us. We finally settled in Oaxaca, Mexico. On a trip to Yellowstone national Park we met a nice couple who owned an Ice Cream Parlor. Our daughters love Ice Cream and one thing led to another and before we knew it, the parlor owners offered our girls jobs if they wanted to return to Red Lodge , Montana. So, we drove back the following year so that they could experience their first summer job. We stayed in our camper van. We’ve been to 25 countries. We love luxury travel, but we prefer the backpack style traveling. We are not afraid of being uncomfortable.
There was or has never been a time when our girls would not run up to us and hug us when we would show up at their school for any reason, or walk down the hallways holding our hands. Covid has been a blessing for us; we welcome time together. We even drove to from LA to Arizona to help register voters during this last 2020 presidential election. That was amazing. It’s a new level of awareness to actually work on a campaign. Family is just not something I had growing up, thus, family is everything to me now.
If I was not clear, I am very proud of what we did with Hint Mint, but I am proud of so much. I am just launching a new venture. A conversation deck entitled, “I Think Therefore I Question”, I Think Therefore I Question is more than just words on paper. It’s more than manufactured questions generated by co-workers in a think tank. This deck is an expression my cumulative lifetime of experiences, interactions, and friendships amassed on a beautifully designed deck of cards. 60 cards, with 60 thoughtful if not eccentric questions crafted to mine entertaining, unexpected answers, interesting conversations, and a whole lot of fun. And just for the record: the questions in this deck are thoughtful and sincere. I don’t move through the world presenting crass topics in the interest of shock value. Enter with an open spirit and you will learn a little something about yourself, too. I owe a lot to my family and friends for their tireless support and collective talent lent to me. I had hundred and hundreds of questions I’d amassed over the years. It took forever to cut them down to the final 60 before pulling the trigger. It was important to me to include my family (my daughters) in as much of the creative process as possible to give them a solid idea and awareness of what it takes to take a simple idea and turn it into something.
I am a storyteller/performer. When we sold Hint Mint in 2016/2017, I ran back to the arts. Performing is my soul. I think it’s one of a few special privileges that we get in this human experience. I am proud of my work. It’s particularly meaningful to me because my fourth-grade teacher told me that I should be a writer and tell stories. It was the only suggestion or highlighting of a talent that I had by any adult in my life– that I should be a writer and tell stories was reinforced by every teacher I had through college. I feel like I was able to follow their advice and that’s satisfying. The cards reflect story and connection. Like our desire for Hint Mint, they are more than just words on paper. I Think Therefore I Question is the beginning of a social game company. I have an expansive deck and a board game about Constitutional rights in development. The deck is also connected to my non-profit, Amplifund, which is a platform to raise donations for causes that expand social connection.
Public transportation is still largely a dream and missed opportunity. Visiting people that live in the valley is intimidating when you live on the other side of the hill. Sadly, what used to be impromptu visits require planning and determination. We are all becoming more and more conditioned to not want to brave the traffic to visit friends who live more than 5 miles away. I remember working on a campaign for Garcetti; the task force was in Santa Monica, and we were working to create a walking campaign. The Garcetti office (Garcetti included) agreed to walk with our group, all we had to do was organize. This plan fell apart because nobody wanted to go east of the 405. So disappointing. There is nothing like walking the streets of NY and charging up from the energy that emanates off the streets. You cannot get away from it. When you come back here, you miss it. You know human energy exists, and yet we don’t have it here. Returning from a place like Washington state makes you understand what lush grounds and plants look like. It’s the nourishment that we now crave. But Los Angeles is amazing. It is beautiful, and quite possibly home to the most vivid dreamers in the world. That said, Los Angeles is a place that can be deceiving, it’s so laid back ad beautiful it seems all you are required to do it get off the bus, but no, you have to stay on your toes. There is no other city where I would rather manage my fulfillment.
Pricing:
- I question cards: $30.00
Contact Info:
- Website: Conversation Deck: IQuestioncards.com
- Instagram: Cooperseye, IQuestioncards
- Facebook: Cooper Bates Los Angeles
- Other: Solo Show: [email protected]
- Indiegogo: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i-think-therefore-i-question#/
Image Credits
Photo Credit: Zayden Bates
