Hi Raquel, Gigging is something that many of us can't
not do. We're hooked on it, despite all the hard work for little money, because the excitement, adrenaline, (maybe attention?) of live interaction (with other musicians as well as the audience) and performance is somewhat of an addiction. In the good old days (and remember, I went to school on a dinosaur) there was no way on the planet you could release anything without having some good musicians around you and a wealth of gigging experience before anyone would have the confidence to stump up the funding for you to record your songs. Maybe that natural filter was a good thing, although it probably stopped a lot of talented folk getting through too. Today, its all a bit 'cart before the horse'
'cos you can be a virtual star having never stepped out of your own bedroom. Crazy!
Anyway, if you're serious about live performance then don't rule out anything. You might have to play for nothing, or even pay to play, but its all good experience in the first instance. If your release were to take off in a big way, you'd miss a fantastic opportunity to 'cash-in' on it by not being ready. So, I'd say get yourself off to open mic nights, post ads in your local paper (or Facebook or whatever), find like-minded musos who might be interested in joining you on your journey, be prepared to kiss a lotta frogs, take the rough with the smooth, do what you have to in order to get any gigs you can (old folks homes, funerals, etc
) just for the sake of getting out there. Once you start finding your way with a reliable line-up you can be more selective. It'll also give you great feedback on which songs work best for you (as well as some material for new songs). Its all invaluable stuff.........and you never know, you might just get hooked on it too!
Best of luck to you on that journey, but above all else, throw yourself in the deep end and have fun!