Description-defying artist Cliff Notez on why Boston’s ‘ahead of the pack’

Cliff Notez is prolific — and not just because he writes five to six songs in a day. He has a touch on all art forms across Boston, teaching music, film and songwriting at Northeastern, Tufts and his alma mater Berklee.

“My doctors would say that it’s ADHD,” he said on Boston Public Radio Friday. “But I would say it’s, honestly, I’ve never felt like I’m supposed to be this one specific thing. The way that I fell in love with music was the same way that I fell in love with film, was the same way that I fell in love with painting. And I started to realize how they could help each other in my creation process.”

Through the process of creation, he began to realize how the different art forms help each other.

“I never thought there was a reason to separate them. They should all exist in that same world together,” Notez said.

He’s currently a member of the folk collective at Club Passim, the Cambridge staple that’s seen musical legends pass through its doors. He said people might have certain expectations of folk music, but the collective’s goal is to help people understand how vast the genre can be.

When people come to his shows, “I like to think that there is no description, there’s just an experience,” Notez said.

Watch: Cliff Notez and accompaniment perform “Could Be Normal” at the Boston Public Library

Notez sang two songs at the Boston Public Library, accompanied by local artists playing guitar, bass, viola, violin and a cello — replacing the usual trumpets listeners hear on “Could Be Normal” with strings. This menagerie of musical talent is one example of how Notez works to lift other artists up. Building a city that supports and grows artists makes it easier for Notez to do his own work, he said.

“Plus it’s just way more beautiful to see when your friends are also up there striving,” Notez said.

Notez’s relationship to Boston as a working artist has changed over time.

“I didn’t fully understand how welcoming Boston was to artists until I went to another place,” he said, pointing to local funding sources that help artist careers, including the Opportunity Fund from the City of Boston that offers grants to individual artists and local arts events.

“I do think Boston could do a lot better, but I do also recognize that we are ahead of the pack,” Notez said.