A BE-35 PILOT DEVIATED FROM HIS CLEARED COURSE ON DEPT FROM SMO AND WAS HEADED TOWARDS HIGH TERRAIN.

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RECEIVED IFR CLRNC TO FLY RWY HDG AFTER TKOF UNTIL REACHING THE LOS ANGELES VOR 315 DEG RADIAL; AND THEN TO TURN R HDG 270 DEGS. THIS IS THE STANDARD IFR DEP PROC OFF OF RWY 21 AT SMO. AFTER TKOF; INSTEAD OF WAITING TO CROSS THE 315 DEG RADIAL BEFORE TURNING TO A HDG OF 270 DEGS; I TURNED R TO A HDG OF 315 DEGS UPON REACHING 400 FT ON THE INITIAL CLB. I KNEW INSTINCTIVELY THAT SOMETHING HAD GONE WRONG; ALTHOUGH IT WASN'T IMMEDIATELY OBVIOUS TO ME WHAT IT WAS. WHEN CONTACTED; DEP IMMEDIATELY VECTORED US ON A 270 DEG HDG. OUR 315 DEG HDG HAD TAKEN US TOWARD HIGHER MVA'S AND MOUNTAINS. IF ATC HAD NOT INTERVENED AND IF I HAD NOT NOTICED THE TERRAIN WARNINGS; THIS COULD HAVE HAD GRAVE CONSEQUENCES; ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT. I BELIEVE THIS SITUATION OCCURRED BECAUSE I WAS SLEEP DEPRIVED. WE HAD FLOWN INTO SMO THE NIGHT BEFORE; BUT BECAUSE OF THE ARPT CURFEW; WE DID NOT DEPART UNTIL THE NEXT DAY AND I HAD GOTTEN NO SLEEP THAT NIGHT. THE CLRNC WE RECEIVED WAS NOT COMPLICATED; ALTHOUGH IT WAS NOT COMMUNICATED WITH STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY -- THAT PROBABLY PLAYED A VERY MINOR PART IN THE CHAIN OF EVENTS; IF ANY. I LEARNED FROM THIS EXPERIENCE TO BE MORE AWARE OF MY OWN EXHAUSTION WHEN FLYING. I FLY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IFR; SO THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN NO QUESTION IN MY MIND REGARDING THE EXECUTION OF THIS CLRNC.