When people pursue their passion, they also need to be able to let their work go. Do it, do it well, and then wash your hands of it. Don't think about it again. Because your beautiful work will be modified before it gets released.... and that's the part people don't talk about.

I agree, and I also think that people should talk about it. It feels like things are being whitewashed for us in the world of comfort: we want the dream and the comfort that comes with it, but not the path and the work to get to it. We better talk about it.

From your post, however, I've been getting a rather harsh vibe that doesn't belong to discussing "following your passion". Or, to phrase it better, I think that "following your passion" is a great idea - it's just that it has to be included into a bigger picture of work and what one does with their time and effort. Passion's nice, but there are going to be challenges and there are going to be unpleasant situations - sometimes so unpleasant that you would consider leaving the field of work. We better discuss this, but in a manner that includes both the good and the bad, and how those relate to each other and to other factors.

While I agree completely with your sentiments here, I think there is a danger here, too.

Elitism. Hipsterism. Clubbiness.

There is no danger unless you misapply your intent. To complain about people not appreciating the beauty of your work is hipsterish. To understand that not everyone might appreciate what you do to the extent you do is reasonable. Just because I make good stuff doesn't mean everyone will understand how good it is, and if they do, it's a blessing rather than deservance of any sort. Grasp that, and things will go smoother for you.

Overall, I think "Follow your passion" is a good message, but it lacks the bit that will make it closer to reality: "Follow your passion despite the stumbles". On your way to where you want to be you will inevitably meet adversity of some sort, be it internal or external, and it's important to understand that the result will always be worth the work as long as what you do fulfills you. It's not to say "Drop everything and pursue this fuzzy irrational idea", of course; it is to say "Do good and feel good about it".