Using the flash is sometimes hit and miss for me. Sometimes I like to use the fill flash just to expose the model more against a back-lit background. Indoors I find nice even lighting is easy to obtain if you just bounce the flash off the ceiling to blanket your subject. I used that technique for these shots: https://steemit.com/life/@deterrencepolicy/we-re-having-a-baby

Finding models is always tricky but if you can take awesome photos of the people around you, I think that's a great start because they're most likely not models. Testing yourself with friends and family builds your skills more so than going to the trouble and expense of hiring someone for a shoot especially when you're starting out. Statues are always a good thing to find in local gardens and parks because they never move but the lighting always changes around them during the day ;)
For instance, here's Hachiko outside Shibuya station in Tokyo: