I get bummed out when I hear about a deserving artist who got no recognition in life, but was appreciated only after checking out. How can you not be? So close and yet so far, like Tom Hanks (and the rest of his whole damn platoon) at the end of Saving Private Ryan. Bummer.

So I just watched the 2013 documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel. It’s the story of a street photographer being discovered posthumously. Was she weird? Yes. Was she flawed? Yes. Was she dedicated to her craft? Oh, most assuredly yes.

She was obsessed with taking pictures, mostly on the streets of Chicago, with her Rollieflex camera. She got right up in there, into people’s faces, right down there with crying toddlers, straight at the subjects. And she did it thousands and thousands of times.

Fascinating flick, including how the guy who discovered her work (bought a boxful of negatives in an auction) went about learning about this prolific artist, and getting her work seen.

So Vivian didn’t get recognition during life, but she got to do her art in the first place (a lot of people never even get that chance) and has even gotten some acclaim, all be it a few years too late for her to enjoy. But as Krishna instructed Arjuna: “We have a right to our labor, but not to the fruits of our labor.” It’s the process. She got to enjoy the process, so….