Johanna Lay studied Textiles at Manchester Metropolitan University, gaining a degree in 1988. During the 1990s she returned to Cornwall, obtaining a teaching qualification from Exeter University, and subsequently a QTS from Bath Spa University.

After teaching art for a number of years, in 2017 she decided to focus on her own creative practice. She has completed the year long Defining Practice course at Newlyn School of Art and is currently on the  Studio Practice course. In September 2023 she became the Artist in Residence at The Kehelland Trust, near Camborne.