Lake was born June 24, 1947 in Detroit, Michigan. She began her fine art studies at Wayne State University and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan from 1965 to 1968. During this period, she became involved with the anti-war and civil rights movements of the 1960s. She also witnessed the Detroit Race Riots of 1967. Soon after, in 1968 Lake immigrated to Canada with her husband to escape the Vietnam War draft. Settling in Montreal, she found herself amidst social upheaval as a result of the Quiet Revolution.